[FONT="Comic Sans MS"]One of my first questions to everyone is how many of you experience severe anxiety prior to your szs. I have been on the dilantin for a month, and have yet to get my levels checked, hopefully i will on the 3rd of Jan. but in the last week, in the evenings typically about 4 pm, I start experiencing severe anxiety, worse than I have ever experienced in my life..It almost brings me to tears, and I feel like I just want to climb out of my skin...my thoughts are racing and I need complete silence just to feel some kind of normal. My kids get home around this time typically, and yes I have six, but I have always been able to deal with them much better than I have the past couple weeks. I have noticed since i my last szs and starting the dilantin, that going into stores or anywhere that I might become over stimulated causes some anxiety.

Next question is this, I had six grand mal szs, that were back to back and I had to smaller ones immediately prior to the gran mal....they were on the verge of intubation in the er when they finally came under control. Would that qualify as status elipticus???

I am still having a heck of a time with doctors, but hopefully it will get better soon.


Merry Christmas to everyone, and all my wishes for a safe, happy and healthy 2008!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/[/FONT]LEFT][/FONT]

From Wikipedia
Status epilepticus (SE) refers to a life threatening condition in which the brain is in a state of persistent seizure. Definitions vary, but traditionally it is defined as one continuous seizure or recurrent seizures without regaining consciousness between seizures for greater than 30 minutes. Many doctors, however, believe that 5 minutes is sufficient to damage neurons and that seizures are unlikely to self-terminate by that time.

In known epileptics, this condition is associated with poor compliance (adherence to medication regimen), alcohol withdrawal, and metabolic disturbances. As a primary presentation it normally indicates a tumour or abscess.

It can also be induced by nerve agents such as soman.[1]

Hi,
I sometimes have anxiety attacks and I have found out that it happens mainly when I'm under a lot of stress, or if something is bothering me and I haven't spoken to anyone about the problem. This has caused the biggest problem for me when it comes to anxiety attacks so be sure if you're under stress to take it easy or if there's something on your mind to talk to someone about the issue.
In regards to your seizure this sounds like a status sz. to me. I had this happen to me when I was put on neurontin and then I began having absence status sz. where I would have one seizure after another or I would have an absence sz. and be out of it for 30 min. to 3 hrs. I had to go to the hospital once where the Dr. gave me med to bring me out of the sz. After I saw my epileptologist he took me off the drug IMMEDIATELY! This could be the problem that you're having it might be possible that dilantin is causing the status sz. I would speak to your neuro. immediately about this. Here's wishing you well and May God Bless You!

Sue

Sue, thanks for your reply it was reassuring. I had read alot of info on the internet, and that was how I found out about status szs. Last year when I had my avm I was more interested in researching that than the szs....so when this happened last month I was rather dumb about szs and did not know anything about what was going on or why. I had not taken any dilantin in over a year when this happened in Nov. and the drs at the hospital indicated that the recent delivery of my son and the fact that I was nursing caused me to have the intial sz. Now, I know that I should have never gotten pregnant again due to my own health reasons, not the szs, and that I definitely should not have been nursing. I feel slightly cheated to be honest, bc i dont think the nuerosurgeon was as honest or as informative as he could have been.

Again thanks for the info sue and ellie, it is greatly appreciated.