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Need help/advise with seizures
Sat, 06/19/2004 - 14:30Topic: Family & Friends
About 5 years ago i was a heavy drug abuser. Ecstacy (MDMA), LSD, Marijuana and LOTS of Crystal Meth. On 2 seperate meth binges i remember taking so much that i developed a form of psycosis for a few hrs, extreme paranoia and panic. I have been clean for like 3 years now. About 2 years ago i noticed that every time i smoked weed i felt something was terribly wrong. My body would tingle, my limbs would jerk or tremble slightly and i would do repeated physical movements (such as put my hand on my forehead or pace the floor), i felt like every neuron in my body was "misfiring" and that i was short circuiting.. that was the only way to explain it. I went to a physician who said these were panic attacks. I quit smoking weed and they went away. About 2-3 weeks ago i took some unisom because i was having trouble sleeping and got one of these episodes that was one of the worst yet, and it continued through then night and at work.... i went to the doctor from work and he assumed it was a panic attack again and prescribed me xanax. I am positive these are seizures (probably clonic) and not panic attacks based on my symptoms... but heres the part i dont get. I get them every day now since that incident. For about 2 weeks straight. I have to take the xanax to make them stop (because xanax slows the nervous system down thats why im assuming they are working), but they happen every single day now. I have tried to hold out for hours (up to 3 or 4) to see if they go away on their own but they dont.. they get worse and worse till i finally have to give in. I would already have gone to a doctor but my insurance at work was dropped a month ago.... can anyone tell me why i get these daily, and how i should go about getting treated with no medical insurance? any help would be more than appreciated... thank you.
Comments
RE: Need help/advise with seizures
Submitted by DJArchaic on Wed, 2004-04-21 - 13:18
I dont mind the long response at all, actually thank you for it... I know i can not let this go untreated, every day my body is telling me that i have to find out whats wrong with me.... i know i have had several seizures in the last few years (just not a grand mal which is what im petrified of), i just wasnt sure if there was anyone who has had them daily like i am ... and these auras that are followed by the actual seizures arent just lasting like 30 min to an hour .. they last for hours till i do something about them..... im wondering if maybe i have brain damage or a tumor or something of that nature... which i plan on getting an EEG to find out... but damn thats gonna be expensive but i guess i have no choice. And yes i know for a fact too that im probably having panic attacks on top of seizures... but how can you not be panicked when your having a seizure its one of the most horrible feelings in the world.... so im pretty sure my seizures are causing mild panic attacks and that the two feed off of each other.... i dunno im just kinda scared.... guess its time to suck it up and find a way to get to a neuro. thank you SOOOO much for your responce.... very insightful... thanks a million.
RE: Need help/advise with seizures
Submitted by mommy2kyra on Wed, 2004-04-21 - 13:38
Your welcome...I wish you the best of luck, I know how scary it is! Let us know how things go for you, okay?Heather
RE: Need help/advise with seizures
Submitted by mommy2kyra on Wed, 2004-04-21 - 12:39
My first thought when saw your post was the drug abuse...heavy drug usage can cause seizures in those who don't have epilepsy. Then, I read a little more closely and saw that you've been clean for three years.What you describe sounds very similar to what I experienced. When I was 20, I was waitressing. I waited on a table of "regulars", and apparently had a complex partial seizure as I took their order. They were so concerened about me, they took me to the hospital ER themselves and waited in the waiting room until I was done. Unfortunately, my medical insurance at the time was really bad...and I had to pay for everything out of pocket and eventually get reimbursed. As a result, when the doc said he wasn't sure what had happened to me (I had no memory of it) and wanted me to come back in a few days, I blew it off. I didn't want to waste money.Within a year, I was constantly having seizures. They were diagnosed as panic attacks, as I always get a "scary de ja vous" feeling just before. It became so bad that I simply couldn't function. I couldn't work, because I was SO scared all of the time. Looking back, I think that I was having both seizures and panic attacks. So, I'd have a seizure..panic..another seizure...and so on. For a good two years, I was having an unbelievable amount of seizures every day. I saw a psychologist, to try to gain some control, which helped me not panic. But, every few weeks I'd have a seizure...just when I thought that I was over it (but I thought they were panic attacks). I'd get so angry with myself for not being able to handle my feelings! Not long therafter, my seizures became nocturnal...and I began saying phrases like, "Oh my god! Shhhh! Shhhh! Shut up!" as I seized in my sleep. I think that was the part of me that was angry with myself. Now, it's part of the MO, I get the feeling...I say my few panicked, angry words...and I space out.If you are having uncontrolled seizures, it makes it easier to have others...especially if you are worried/freaked out/stressed about it. This is why my seizures were SO bad in those first few years. I was constantly stressed out (which is a big trigger for seizures). I wouldn't presume to say that you are having seizures, but I would definitely advise you to get some tests done by a neurologist so you know what you ARE dealing with. Don't go on, waiting for it to get better, because it just might get a whole lot worse. In my case, I had undiagnosed seizures for 6 years...until I suffered my first grand mal, at which time I had all kinds of tests done. But that was the beginning of my treatment, and I really wish that I had gone back to that doctor so many years ago (I might have avoided years of misery!).Good luck to you, I hope that you find the answers that you're looking for. Sorry for the long response, but it's my way =)Heather