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Panic attacks that are actually seizures

Tue, 04/03/2012 - 04:26

Hi all!

 Wow, to say I've been on a journey is an understatement.  I've suffered from what I thought was panic/anxiety attacks for coming on 7 years.  I'm 27 years old and this has without a doubt partially taken over my life from the sheer fear of it all. Problem I have is I don't really remember what happens during them only that I swallow a lot, cant recall the finer details (sort of memory loss), It can feel like de javu (especially if Im listen to someone talk, or watching TV) I'm petrified from them and I freeze and cant talk properly.  I cant seem to get any normal words out.. such as "Hang on I'm having a funny turn!" but I cant and if I do manage to talk it makes absolutely no sense. 

Now for years I've gone to doctors who hand me print outs of GAD or panic attack sheets, they've tried to put me on anti-depressants.  Which i've refused as I'm not depressed just bloody confused. Often doctors sat there with a blank expression thinking I was tapped... which as many of you will know that makes you feel so much worse.  Being honest I can feel pretty shook up after an attack (which tend to happen in the morning or when i'm partially awake) so I'm probably quite anxious from it all.

 Now finally after finding a good doctor, who also discovered I had PCOS (polycystic ovaries), she said she'd get a 24 hours heart rate check and also send me to a neurologist.  Purely to clear in my mind and that way I could stop worrying.  so, I went for my neurologist appointment on Friday.  There was the neurologist and a nurse present, I was asked to explain exactly what happens during my attacks.  I firstly said it was probably panic attacks and that this was just to confirm with myself it was that.  I explain exactly what happens during an attack... de javu, swallowing, cant remember, etc etc.  I then had to go through to the other room and my reflexes were tested, he watched me walk, and looked into my eyes with a torch.  

After this I went through and sat down waiting for his verdict... by how he acted with me I was totally expecting him to say I was just having anxiety/panic attacks.  he didnt.  "You're experiencing complex partial seizures'  - my reaction was "Pardon?!"  

There and then was a bit of a blur as I was baffled... why hadnt this been sorted before? was my first thoughts.  He said there and then I needed to inform DVLA and also did I want medication there and then.  That was the most confusing part... how did he know for sure?  would his reflex tests etc have shown him? I did say no and that I wanted the brain scan he was refering me for.  My sheets had ASAP all over them. 

 Part of me wants to be confirmed with seizures as I can finally get on with my life, the other part doesn't because I will have this for life.   Also if it isn't that if im just having panic attacks/ anxiety attacks then what the hell is it? 

 

Anyone else had a similar experience?  Any advice? 

 xx

 

 

Comments

Re: Panic attacks that are actually seizures

Submitted by kloser2fine on Fri, 2012-04-06 - 02:38
Hi, wow--as you can see from my recent post in this same forum, I have very unusual seizures as well. Mine consist of intense deja vu which suddenly morphs into almost complete amnesia, with a feeling of terror and repetitive asking of orienting questions, such as Where am I? Who am I? It's interesting that we both have such unusual experiences, and also, I have PCOS as well. I hope for your sake that your doctor is incorrect but it sounds like he's pretty confident and if so, rest assured that they know a great deal about how to treat seizures by now, and wouldn't it be great if they could get rid of your panic attacks? I would sure love to stop these attacks. All the best.

Re: Panic attacks that are actually seizures

Submitted by npiegat on Fri, 2012-04-06 - 17:11
I have a similar experience. About 4 years ago I started having episodes of sudden, almost paralyzing fear, for a moment I felt out of sorts, in panic, shaken, I felt this was growing and growing and then I had experienced something I would describe as a "brain shock", and after that I would slowly return to normal. I dreaded these "attacks" and my anxiety level got out of control. After seeing my physician he ordered anti depressant, muscle relaxant and a therapy with a shrink. I've been seeing the psychiatrist for a few months and took the meds for 1 year. I still experienced some discomfort but slept better and felt it was under control more less. Than I got pregnant and stopped taking drugs. 4 months into pregnancy - I started acting like crazy in my sleep. I was talking outloud but all nonsense, I was jumping on a bed, swinging my arms, breathing heavily, sometimes urinating in my sleep. I thought it must be a hormonal thing. My physician had no idea. It did not stop after I had my son, only gotten worse. He was 3 months when I had my first full-blown seizure - screamed, dropped on the floor, eyes rolling, jagged movements, total amnesia, problems with balance and talking after the attack. Book case. After that my doc finally started to connect the dots. We did MRI, EEG - all normal. But I still has the episodes (partial seizures) pretty much every week. Didn't sleep well, felt awful. My neurologist decided to put me on Kepra 500 mg 2x daily. It made things much better. I've been taking it for 2 months now, slightly increased the dose, don't feel perfect but at lest I know what it is I was having in the first place. I was never depressed - I have just been having seizures! I wonder if I can ever get it under control completely to the point I don't have this episodes at all, be seizure-free? I don't want to take the meds the rest of my life...

Re: Panic attacks that are actually seizures

Submitted by endinsight on Mon, 2012-04-09 - 23:28
     Being on medicines all of my life, there was a time when for 10 months a doctor of mine said to me I could go off all my seizure medicine which was just phenobarbital at that time. Once I got off of taking 180 mgs of that in 3 months, the next 10 months after that was the best 10 months I ever had in my life. I am close now to having another time of no seizure drugs in my life as i can rember those 10 months as if they were yesterday. STRESS occured after 10 months as I lost my job then as the STRESS of losing that job created my 3rd ever grand mal after my 2nd one 20 years before the 3rd one. From age 10 to age 30 things were tollerable with petit mals / auras. STRESS had some causes for those too as I was not on the best medcines for seizures in those years. All I can say is look for a pattern or patterns when you eat & drink foods & drinks, and when you take notices of different changes medicnes may cause as well. There are always dots to connect in most cases people have if people are commitied enough to look for the patterns and possible root causes of the seizures that are happening.

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