Community Forum Archive

The Epilepsy Community Forums are closed, and the information is archived. The content in this section may not be current or apply to all situations. In addition, forum questions and responses include information and content that has been generated by epilepsy community members. This content is not moderated. The information on these pages should not be substituted for medical advice from a healthcare provider. Experiences with epilepsy can vary greatly on an individual basis. Please contact your doctor or medical team if you have any questions about your situation. For more information, learn about epilepsy or visit our resources section.

son has tonic clonic seizues

Sat, 10/28/2006 - 02:24
my son is 16 years old now. he's been having seizures for 2 years to this month. 7 grand mals. 2 in the last 2 weeks plus 2 petit mals (also with bad dreams etc). they admitted him to hospital for observation. neurologist changed his meds. he's been on 5 different meds now. we are getting him slowly off keppra. since he's been on keppra (nov/dec 05) he's had 4 grand mals (2 in the last 2 wks). doctor have him on tegretol now. i don't know which meds though are making him moody & very tired. my sons going to see another nurologist nov.29. i'm very scared for him. i am a single parent. he has a twin brother. it is taking a toll on us. i will not leave him alone. he's missed a lot of school, i've missed work, but they understand. right now i'm watching him sleep.i cant sleep. he breaths funny & moves around alot. he's also supposed to go to a sleep lab. i'm waiting for appointment. just wondering if anyone else out there has similar case and what is working for them. i stopped the video games & tv watching (hdtv). he had his first one while playing vid games but docs didn't support my theory that that was the cause. so we started the meds and my son started playing vid games again. no more games since last month and we are getting rid of big screen hdtv. i don't know how much more i can take.

Comments

Re: son has tonic clonic seizues

Submitted by powerofprayer on Sun, 2006-10-29 - 11:55
Carebear, In my experience with Epilepsy & Seizures (grand mal & petie mal). I was put on tegretol when I was young and it made me into a different person. I would act out one minute then crying the next. My parents and I suffered through this until I was put on depakote. This seemed to really help with my seizures, but I got really depressed. Some of the things I remember that would trigger my seizures are lights and certain strong smells. I believe that video games trigger them also (the sudden movement, the lights). This can overload the brain for someone that has seizures. I resently purchased an LCD/HDTV and the picture on it is so bright and the constant glitches on the screen, give me really bad headaches. I think it is a good idea to wean him off these things. I am sure you will both see a big difference. Take Care. Power of Prayer

Re: Re: son has tonic clonic seizues

Submitted by lisabdcat on Fri, 2007-01-12 - 12:59
Carebear, omg, it sounds like you are telling my story. My 18 year old daughter has tonic clonic seizures without warning. She has been on 9 different meds in the past 5 years. The docs don't know what is causing them, and the meds don't help for long. She never knows when she's going to have one. She's fallen and injured herself and choked on food during a seizure. Lately, if she has one, she'll have 9-15 of them in a day and ends up in the hospital. I'm afraid to sleep and to leave her alone. The doctor said it is safe "within reason" to leave her alone, but he's not here! How can it be safe? I hope you have gotten more answers to your son's E and wish you the best of luck. Would like to hear from you about how it is going now. Lisa

Re: son has tonic clonic seizues

Submitted by mama bear on Fri, 2007-01-12 - 15:00
Hi carebear, I have been going through something very similar with my son. I just wanted to let you know about something to try jsut in case you have not heard of it yet. Our epileptologist just put our son on a 2 week trial of vitmain B6 along with his regular meds. The perscription is for Pyridoxine, but when you get it filled it is actually over the counter Vitamin B6. Apperently a very small group of our population is born with a dependancy and deficiency of this vitamin, and it can cause seizures. Because Vitamin B6 is absorbed through water it does not show on the urine, blood, or lumbar puncture tests. If you Google vitamin B6 and seizures alot of info will come up. My son is 35 lbs and has been put on 100 mg a day in addition to his regular meds. I was shocked with all the reading I have been doing I did not find out about this sooner. Maybe you have already tried this? If not what could it hurt? The only thing that I have read that could be negative is that B6 can reduce the effectiveness of Dilantin in supressing seizure activity. I am so sorry for what you are going through, and will pary for your family. We are really finding it hard too. It really helps to have a little grain of hope once and a while. Good luck, and let me know how you are doing. Tresa (mama bear)

Sign Up for Emails

Stay up to date with the latest epilepsy news, stories from the community, and more.