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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 3 of 3. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Thrud on June 21, 2001, at 6:19:41
Hi all.
Are there reliable methods to test for partial seizures versus panic disorder without having to have an attack while strapped to an EEG? I read that a sizeable fraction of people diagnosed with panic actually have partial seizures.
Thrud
Posted by Thrud on June 21, 2001, at 7:40:10
In reply to partial seizures and panic, posted by Thrud on June 21, 2001, at 6:19:41
Does this sound like PD or partial seizure?
When I am unmedicated, this is what my life is like. It begins with a pounding headache and dizzyness which usually lasts for a few hours. Then on top of this I get stiffness and pins and needless in the back of my neck. Finally I have an "attack" where I feel like I've "locked up" for a few moments; I feel unable to move or think or do anything. At this time I feel absolutely *extreme* anxiety, not about anything in particular. It feels like I am drowning in mid air. No hallucinations of any kind associated with it and I do not lose conciousness. After a few seconds this "locked up" feeling will subside and I will feel weak and dizzy again. The cycle will repeat, with the "lock ups" and associated feelings becoming more frequent and intense in the evenings.By late evening I will be very tortured indeed and finally collapse into an exhausted sleep. Next morning I will still feel weak and dizzy and the whole cycle begins again. Without some sort of medication I am in this cycle all my waking hours and will sleep about 18 hours a day. I feel unable to eat, get bags under my eyes and basically become a skeleton. There is no doubt that without medication I would die of malnutrition (ironic that ADs make me swing the other way and give me too much of an appetite). I have found that I can anticipate lock-ups and intercept them with benzos but I will still feel profoundly unwell. The pdoc diagnosed me with PD and put me on the first of a long, long list of ADs. With the right ADs I can feel okay, but I never have felt well for ten years (the wrong AD will not prevent my lock-ups).
The reason I am interested in the possibility of partial seizure is the choice of medication: anti-convulsants rather than ADs. Maybe I've been barking up the wrong tree medication wise? I did develop major depression after becoming a tortured skeleton but it was the cart, not the horse. I had an EEG done all those years ago but results were apparently normal. I was on an AD at the time though and did not have an attack while being measured.
Any inputs would be most appreciated.Thrud
Posted by Lorraine on June 21, 2001, at 10:25:18
In reply to my case history...., posted by Thrud on June 21, 2001, at 7:40:10
I had an EEG and it showed lots of spiking activity, which my neurologist believes is causing my anxiety. That spiking activity might cause seizures in one person and migrains in another person. It's called subthreshold seizure activity by the neurofeedback therapist. Hope this helps.
This is the end of the thread.
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