Anxiety = Epilepsy

Hi everyone im 19 ive been suffering high anxiety,social phobia,agrophobia,depression,paranoia,(and had some real bad p/a's but not for a while prob because i hav'ent been out for quite awhile but had a few at home) etc for 2 years now,  ive seen loads of doc's. and psyc's and taken a few different meds, feel it didn't help im currently on 225mg Effexor, 15mg Olanzapine (Zyprexa). Starting Cognitive behavioural Therapy  for the second time and and seeing a o.t to try and get me back to "normal" if thats possible lol.  anyway my psyc wants me to have an E.E.G because he thinks my illnes's could be due to Epilepsy whitch i had when i was about 3 or 4 till i was 8 years old so my question have you or anybody you know had Epilepsy and Anxiety and if so was they linked. Thanks Joe

MandiAnn said...
Hi Joe! 

 

I have a form of Epilepsy and also suffer from some anxiety and panic attacks.  I think you'll find that a lot of us have had some form of an anxiety issue at one point or another.  However, you don't get Epilepsy from panic attacks.  There are many things that can happen during a panic attack that can mimic a seizure, or actually bring on a seizure itself, but then it becomes a seizure disorder due to stress and that isn't technically Epilepsy as it's classified.  However, you can develop a panic disorder due to certain aspects of Epilepsy.  This is usually classified as anxiety due to another medical related issue.  Usually it comes down to two things for me.  One is a panic attack over an aura, a personal warning sign that a seizure may be taking place.  The other is the fear of being out in public and having a seizure.  This usually boils down to fear of injury or being alone and not being helped.

 

I'm really glad that you are seeking more treatment for panic attacks.  Hopefully you will find more luck with CBT this time around.  I personally have tried many things, and I'm doing much better than I was a year ago.  Try getting some citrus scented candles or air spray for your home.  Get a citrus scented hand lotion or even some gum that has a nice scent, for when you are out.  If you start to have a panic attack, scent can interupt the brain waves enough to allow you to focus on something pleasant, and bypass the panic attack.  Citrus is the best I've tried basicaly because they are considered "happy" smells and our body acts positively to them.  Sounds hokey, I know, but give it a try before you give up on the idea.  Also, as you probably already know from your previous CBT, self talk is huge for me.  When I start to panic, my natural thoughts go to "Oh my god, I'm gonna have a seizure and I'm going to fall and hit my head and no one will help me."  If you allow yourself to run crazy with those ideas, you will never get out of your panic attack.  Take some slow, deep breaths and repeat to yourself "I am ok.  No matter what happens, I will be fine."  Again, sounds very simple, but if you commit to it, it can work.  Of course, I don't always go that way.  Most of the time I just say to myself, or rather my panic attack, to shut the hell up and I'm not listening to you.  If you refuse to give it any power, chances are it's not gonna have any.

 

It wouldn't be a bad idea to go ahead and have the EEG.  This can tell you if you are still having any abnormalities in your brain that can result with the seizures.  If there's nothing going on, then you can continue your treatment for your panic attacks.

 

I wish you tons of luck, big hugs, and wishes that you can take care of yourself.  Please let us know how you are doing.

Hi Mandi thanks for your advice.. il try citrus spray and gum. i don't care what it is as long as it works lol

and glad to hear that you are doing better.. il just have to wait and see what to do after the E.E.G...

hope you get better soon.. an il let everyone know how im doing thanks again Joe 

 

Hi Joe,

I read your post and it really hit home for me.  You sound like a male version of me.  May I ask how old you are??  It is scary how much you have stated things exactly how I have analyzed them for myself.  I would like to talk with you more, perhaps in chat.  I am often found in the chat rooms, if you have time.

Britt

(sadfacedb)

Hey everybody, new member here. :)
I was diagnosed with complex partial seizures back in July of 2003 and I am on Dilantin. My seizures seem to be under control although I don't really know because I have the ones where you don't really know you are having them and they can last for only a minute or two. I have been suffering from anxiety/feelings of fear/panic for a while now and it is really interfering with my life. (I am unemployed and cannot drive among other things) My neurologist isn't able to tell me what is causing it and all my tests (EEG, Cat Scan) have come back "normal" and nobody seems to be able to tell me anything or what can help me. I have tried everything including Paxil (which I had to stop because it made me rageful) and several different herbal anxiety pills & liqiuids and the one I am on now seems to be helping a bit (Native Remedies Be Calm liquid) but the anxiety is still there.
I say anxiety but I am not sure really what to call it. The feelings are a cross between panic or the feelings you get when you dread something is coming and you don't want to deal with it and also feelings of fear. I have always had trouble trying to explain it because my mind isn't very clear when I am going through these periods. I often hear strange sounds in my head, see odd visions or objects with my eyes & just can't seem to think straight. I have even tried to write down what I am feeling in my daily journal and when I look at it later on what I had written is all mumbo jumbo and makes absolutely no sense.
I just sort of sit/stand there and stare, like I don't know what in the world to do, and all these strange thoughts, images & sometimes sounds will differ (will deepen or change tone from what they really are) come into my mind and most of the time I start crying and sometimes my hands will shake and I start heavy breathing, etc. Oh God, they are horrible to have to go through. This can happen anytime and anywhere with no cause or problem making it to happen. Alot of people seem to ask me, "Well, what did you do to cause it?" I didn't do anything, it just comes. I can be sitting in my room reading or playing with my cat or fixing myself a meal in the kitchen and the feelings just come... I'm not doing anything to cause panic or fear. That really makes me mad when people say that it must be something I am doing that is causing the feelings to come.
I have no clue why it is happening and my neurologist (who I have been seeing for about 3 years now) doesn't have any answers for me.
I also have alot of trouble sleeping, my mind just won't rest. I have constant dreams all night long, pretty much every night and wake up exhausted. Most of the time I wake up several times throughout the night as well. My memory isn't the best & I have a hard time remembering things. Overall it has been rough trying to find ways to cope with all these symptoms/effects and the only thing that helps me alot of the time is knowing that there are others out there who are living just like me and who understand how hard it can get.
If anybody has any tips for me or anything that might help then please let me know.. Thanks so much! :)
Oh, I just turned 30 years old and live in Boston, MA

Carlytoons said...

 I have always had trouble trying to explain it because my mind isn't very clear when I am going through these periods. I often hear strange sounds in my head, see odd visions or objects with my eyes & just can't seem to think straight. I have even tried to write down what I am feeling in my daily journal and when I look at it later on what I had written is all mumbo jumbo and makes absolutely no sense.
I just sort of sit/stand there and stare, like I don't know what in the world to do, and all these strange thoughts, images & sometimes sounds will differ (will deepen or change tone from what they really are) come into my mind and most of the time I start crying and sometimes my hands will shake and I start heavy breathing, etc. Oh God, they are horrible to have to go through. This can happen anytime and anywhere with no cause or problem making it to happen. Alot of people seem to ask me, "Well, what did you do to cause it?" I didn't do anything, it just comes. I can be sitting in my room reading or playing with my cat or fixing myself a meal in the kitchen and the feelings just come... I'm not doing anything to cause panic or fear. That really makes me mad when people say that it must be something I am doing that is causing the feelings to come.
I have no clue why it is happening and my neurologist (who I have been seeing for about 3 years now) doesn't have any answers for me.

Hi Carly, This is exactly what happens to me. I also have a "speech arrest". That's when I can hear and be fully aware of what is going on around me but I can't respond. It's like I'm paralyzed.

Some neurologists call this a petit mal seizure and others call it an aura.

You said that you are unemployed ~ is that due to your "seizure condition"?

If so, it is a form of descrimination and violates the Human Rights Code as well as the federal constitution.

Do you think that stress could be a trigger?  Everybody reacts differantly to stress. (That's what happened to me, I was an Administration Manager for the Canadian Federal Government for 21 yrs.)

Perhaps the fast pace of your life style is causing stress.

If you are not getting any answers from your neurologist, perhaps you should try to get a refferal to an "Epileptologist"

I don't know if this helps you or if you got anything out of this but I felt that I had to comment.

Hope you get your problem straightened out.

Randy

My neurologist said that mood problems such as anxiety, depression (even some psychotic features) can be caused by epilepsy. She said it is very common to have them misdiagnosed as psychiatric disorders (such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, etc.) when the doctors don't suspect epilepsy. The EEG can tell them for sure if it's epilepsy (but it doesn't always) - mine did without a doubt though. She did recommend that people with mood problems caused by epilepsy do have a psychiatrist on their team because of the risk of depression/suicide.

Wish you luck