Hi m_jip,

Welcome to the forum! I've had epilepsy for 39 yrs. I started having seizures when I was 10 yrs. old. Often a person will start having seizures when hormones are changing in their body. When a woman starts to go through her change it can either increase or decrease seizures for the person and that's because the estrogen level is going up and estrogen causes more excitment in the human body and the progesterone level is going down and it's progesterone that helps calm the nervous system. This type of seizure is known as "cateminal seizures" (sp?)

You mentioned that you have been having respitory problems this can be something that can trigger seizures. Drs. have found a connection between heart problems triggering seizure, also if you haven't had a sleep study done yet you might want to consider it sleeping as long as you do after a seizure is longer than usual and I wonder if you have sleep apnea or another sleep disorder. Lack of sleep and stress are the 2 main things that can trigger seizures.
My advice to you is to get a calendar and write down what time you have any seizures along with a discription of the seizure. Also be sure to write down when you start and stop your monthly cycle. By doing this your Dr. may see a pattern in your seizures and they may be happening 1 wk. to 10 before your monthly cycle and then again after your montly cycle if this is what your Dr. sees then you can tell it's all do to hormones changing in your body. The best thing for you to do is to see a Epileptologist (Dr. specializing in Epilepsy) at a Epilepsy Center which are usually at University or very big hospitals. You will have to have your family Dr. refer you to one.
To find out what's causing your epilepsy you should have a wada test done that can pinpoint the exact cause of your seizures. When I took Keppra the drug increased my seizures and made them worse so I went on vimpat and I had a lot fewer seizures than when I was taking keppra. Once you get in to see an Epileptologist request a DNA test that will show what seizure meds will work the best for you with the least side effects. In the mean time take vitamin B12 1000 mcg. once a day, and eat almonds or low salted peanuts. I know this sounds wierd but nuts have progesterone in them and when I went through my change in reduced my seizures greatly. Stay away from nutra sweet and cut back on the carbs and starch foods because they can lead to seizures. Sorry to carry on so long. Wishing You the best of luck and May God Bless You!

Sue