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.

Anti-Seizure Drugs bringing Ovarian Cysts Back

Fri, 01/30/2015 - 13:30

I was diagnosed with myoclonic epilepsy a little over 7 months ago, which in itself wasn't that huge a game changer for me, because I was put on Zonegran (Zonisamide) and it's been pretty well controlled since. However, I've also been dealing with pretty severe reaccuring ovarian cysts for about 3 years now. In high school I was put on birth control and the problem was solved like in most simple cases. So in an ideal world, both of my problems should be taken care of. However, my neurologist warned me upon starting my medication that I would have to be sure to practice safe sex because the anti-seizure drugs would affect my liver proccessing and the birth control wouldn't be as affective. Me, being a college student now, totally forgot about the original reason I was put on birth control in the first place. 

So now my birth control has been completely ineffective against my ovarian cysts and they have been coming back with a vengence. I've had a cyst grow on my right ovary and rupture every month like clockwork for the past 4 months. I've learned to deal with the pain a lot better and I don't go to the hospital for it anymore because I know what it is and there's nothing they can do for me. My gynocologist has gotten to the point where she just tells me to take Aleve whenever a cyst ruptures or tortions, and I've been unable to have sex because of it and I lost a two year relationship because of all of this. It's just really frustrating because these two seemingly unrelated problems have become so intertwined and there doesn't seem to be a fix for it. They tried switching me to a birth control with higher estrogen and all it did was make me throw up for two weeks and I still got another cyst anyway. And I begged my neurologist to just let me off of my anti-seizure meds because I went untreated for over a year before I was diagnosed and I lived a pretty normal life. But she said that if I stop taking medication for it I'll be at an 80% chance of having a tonic clonic seizure because of how severe and full-body my myoclonic ones are, and because of stuff she saw on my EEG. I'm not sure how it all works because I'm only 19 and I'm so new to epilepsy in general. I guess I just want to know if anyone else has had a problem even similar to this or if they have any advice. Thank you!

Comments

Epihelp gave you answers or

Submitted by just_joe on Sat, 2015-02-14 - 12:16
Epihelp gave you answers or places to go to for some help. Your neurologist is right with the percentages. I also know that going off your medications can do another thing which isn't good. You might want to read about "status epilepticus". I was tired of taking meds and had gone a lng time withot any seizures so I stopped taking mine. Everything was going fine and I was doing well in college. Until the medication levels were gone in my body/ Which is generally 3-6 weeks after stopping meds. Well I had to find out the hard way. I went into status epilepticus starting arround 9-10 pm. I was having 40 convulsive seizures an hour. Back then there was no 911 and they couldn't get me in the car because it wouldn't be safe for the driver with me bouncing arround because I could cause the driver to have an accident. It was 5 am before our neighbor got home fron work and I was loaded in the back of their station wagon. I came to 3 days later. The doctors stated I had come out only to go back into it again within 20 minutes. It took weeks in the hospital and a few months before I was really back to normal.  As long as the EEG shows abnormalities then you should do what your neurologist says.

Sign Up for Emails

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