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Exercise induced seizures?
Fri, 05/08/2020 - 09:55Hello,
I'm wondering if there's anyone else with epilipesy who has experienced the same thing as me. I was diagnosed with idiopathic epilipesy 6 months ago. I take keppra and vimpat to control my seizures. Recently my neurologist lowered my dosage of keppra. Since then, while doing cardio exercise, two different times I have had a sudden feeling of my brain shutting down. That's the best way I can think to describe it. In the moment I can tell something isn't right, and I've been able to sit on the floor, take deep breathes, and after about 30 seconds or so the feeling goes away and I can resume my workout.
This morning I woke up feeling similarly, but I had been sleeping, not exercising. In the past I've had tonic clonic seizures in my sleep, but nothing like this. It was a very similar feeling to what occured while I was exercising but more intense. Not only did I feel like my brain was shutting down but I also was momentarily confused and very scared. It's a terrible feeling to wake up to. I realize the confusion could have just been because I was woken up so suddenly and not necessarily a seizure symptom. Thankfully, I was able to call for my husband to come help me and he reminded me to take deep breathes. After a minute or so the brain shutting down feeling went away. The confusion intensified for another minute or so, then it went away, and then I got a headache! Lol, so all-in-all it's been an intense morning! My husband is a trained nurse's aid and he suggested these seizures, if that's what they are, could be caused by a lowered blood oxygen level which would explain why it has happened while doing cardio exercise and while sleeping. I have an appointment with my neurologist in 3 weeks, unrelated to this, but it's certainly something I'll discuss with her.
My main question is- does anyone else have seizures like this while exercising?
Comments
Hi, Thank you for posting.
Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 2020-05-11 - 09:06
Hi, Thank you for posting. Safety is always the most important thing when it comes to an exercising for anyone of any ability level. It’s important to make sure that you're discussing your exercise routine with your neurologist, who can help determine what may be best or safest for you. It’s also important that you’readdressing any changes in seizure types/frequency, side effects, symptoms, moods or behaviors. Review steps to take to ensure that you're putting yourself in the safest position possible by visiting: https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/healthy-living/fitness-and-exercise/safety-first-how-do-i-start-exercising . Adding physical activity into your regular routine may help with seizure control, improve mood & cognition, sleep and overall quality of life. Very rarely, exercise is a trigger for seizure activity, however, it’s important that you’re reviewing this with your doctors. It may be helpful to record how you feel before, during and after you exercise. You may notice that some lifestyle habits such as lack of sleep,stress, dehydration or not eating well may have an impact on how you’re feeling and seizure frequency. https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/triggers-seizures. My Seizure Diary can help you track your triggers and your seizures, which can be shared with your healthcare team, They can help you identify or recognize any patterns, allowing you to modify (if needed) your treatment plan, behavior, or lifestyle appropriately. https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/epilepsy-foundation-my-seizure-diary . Additionally, you may always contact our 24/7 Helpline, where trained information specialists are available to answer your questions, offer help, hope, support, guidance, and access to national and local resources. 1-800-332-1000, contactus@efa.org. epilepsy.com/helpline
I generally experience
Submitted by BBC on Thu, 2020-05-21 - 18:34
I generally experience seizures which are exercise induced. In fact the first seizure I ever had was during a long road bike ride at age 35, so yes I can testify that exercise does indeed cause seizures for some. I think the ConnectHelp response is bs. A number of doctors at first misdiagnosed my condition as heart related (syncope) and almost put in a damn heart valve. Thankfully I was skeptical and got into the Mayo EMU, where I was diagnosed with Temperal Lobe Epilepsy. Medication (oxcarbazepine & briviact) have controlled the grand mal seizures but I continue to blackout from time to time while exerting physically. Basketball, jogging. I had to give up cycling because of the dangers.
Other people have asked
Submitted by Patriotrehab on Sat, 2020-05-09 - 12:08
Other people have asked similar questions on this forum, so I would say that it may be a thing for some people. Also, here’s a link to a study that shows it was something that could be replicated as a trigger. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4308088/ Maybe you could share it with your doctor because some doctors aren’t real believers in triggers that are unique and specific or rare.