HI everyone,
My 40 year old husband was just diagnosed with ideopathic epilepsy after having experienced 2 gran mal seizures in 9 weeks. Both events have occured just as he was falling asleep. After the first seizure, we had blood work, a CT scan, an MRI, an EEG, EKG, 24 hr EEG, holter moniter. We were also being followed by the local neurologist as well as a specialist at the Yale Epilepsy clinic. All of the test came back negative. We were given a clean bill of health (but informed of the increased chance of subsiquent seizures ). Then, nine weeks to the day of the first (same day of the week and same time at night) he had a second.
He was given a loading dose of dilantin in the ER (he launched himself out of bed and split open his head) and was prescribed dilantin 300mg/day - but that didn't agree with him (he reported feeling drunk all of the time). He's just been titered off of the Dilantin and onto Depakote ER 1000mg/day. So far he seems to not have any side effects from the Depakote.
Neither of us has an known Epilepsy in our families and we are feeling very blindsided by this and scared. It feels as though the MDs have given it a lable of 'ideopathic' and they are good with that - but no one is telling us much of anything.
We'd love to hear from anyone with some validation and support.
Thanks - Ms Katherine