[Hydrophobic1212]

Okay, so, I had work training tonight and it was all about first aid and all that, and they talked a lot about seizures. It was as he was explaining one that he had himself, that I realized that sounds a lot like what happens to me. And it helped me remember that my psychiatrist once brought up the possibility of it being seizures, but I don't remember what happened with that...

Anyways, I'm going to bring this up with my doctor next time I see them, but I just wanted your input. Does this sound like a type of seizure?

Basically, it's like I'm falling asleep. It's so... Weird, because I'll be fully awake one minute and totally aware not feeling tired at all, then the next, my body just shuts down it feels like and I totally black out. My head bobs like I'm falling asleep and my eyes flutter and my body gets really, really tired. This usually happens a few times in a row or spaced out a bit, then I go back to being entirely normal.

I always passed it off as just falling asleep, but it makes no sense to me. I tried going to sleep earlier and getting the right amount of sleep, and I'll be fine in the morning, then all of a sudden, this happens. It' happens when I'm driving sometimes too. It really scares me.

It happens mostly in the morning, which is why I always just assumed it was being tired from just waking up, but it has happened in the afternoon too.

Anyways, I just wanted input...

Thanks!

I have epilepsy and that does not sound like a seizure to me. There are different types of seizures and, if they are seizures, they may be different from the ones I have. Sounds like it could be narcolepsy. You need to see a neurologist to be test.

[Hydrophobic1212]

Originally Posted by unhappyguy

I have epilepsy and that does not sound like a seizure to me. There are different types of seizures and, if they are seizures, they may be different from the ones I have. Sounds like it could be narcolepsy. You need to see a neurologist to be test.

There are different types of seizures, as you said. My psychiatrist had said my medication might cause them. And the guy doing the training tonight explained what happens to me perfectly. It was something my doctor brought up to me once before when I told him about this happening, which is why I wanted to hear from someone who might know. I am not saying it's epilepsy. I think it's medication related.

But thank you, like I said, I am going to talk to my doctor next time I see them.

EDIT: I just looked up narcolepsy and on the page, it said that they need to rule out other things that cause similar symptoms and one of the things listed was seizures. So, I will most certainly talk with my doctor about this.

Other possible explanations:

1. Low blood sugar - hypoglycemia; or
2. High blood sugar - hyperglycemia.

I have the latter. If I eat or drink something that has a lot of sugar (e.g., candy, fruit, fruit juice, cake, some breakfast cereals) and the sugar rushes into my blood stream, I will have symptoms that mimic falling asleep / passing out, until my blood sugar level returns to normal. To determine if this is the problem, a glucose fasting test is required.

[Hydrophobic1212]

Originally Posted by unhappyguy

Other possible explanations:

1. Low blood sugar - hypoglycemia; or
2. High blood sugar - hyperglycemia.

I have the latter. If I eat or drink something that has a lot of sugar (e.g., candy, fruit, fruit juice, cake, some breakfast cereals) and the sugar rushes into my blood stream, I will have symptoms that mimic falling asleep / passing out, until my blood sugar level returns to normal. To determine if this is the problem, a glucose fasting test is required.

I will find out soon, I hope. I think I'll get to go to the doctor.

[splitimage]

Don't mean this as challenging - but you should definitely not be driving until you find out what's going on. I've had two seizures, and in both cases my licence was suspended by my Dr. until I had been seizure free for a year. Pain in the butt, but I'd rather take transit that risk killing someone.

splitimage

[JerseyBoy8]

Sounds like a reaction from your medication. Either that or possible narcolepsy.

I have epilepsy, and after either a grand mal seizure (the real violent seizures) or an absent seizure, I am really tired, basically because, after any kind of seizure, the person's brain wave activity is irregular, and thus, it takes a lot out of your brain exertion wise, and makes you really tired. Thus, usually people after they have seizures need to sleep twice as long, so that the brain can relax and return itself to normal brain activity.

Many medications nowadays, even prescription allergy meds, have side effects that include exhaustion, sleepiness, etc. and that's why, usually, on the prescription bottle, it says not to operate heavy machinery within a specific time span after taking that specific medication, due to the side effect(s).

Anyways, rambling aside, I hope you heard back, or will hear back from your doctor soon about this, and get it checked out. Best of luck.

[Hydrophobic1212]

Originally Posted by JerseyBoy8

Sounds like a reaction from your medication. Either that or possible narcolepsy.

I have epilepsy, and after either a grand mal seizure (the real violent seizures) or an absent seizure, I am really tired, basically because, after any kind of seizure, the person's brain wave activity is irregular, and thus, it takes a lot out of your brain exertion wise, and makes you really tired. Thus, usually people after they have seizures need to sleep twice as long, so that the brain can relax and return itself to normal brain activity.

Many medications nowadays, even prescription allergy meds, have side effects that include exhaustion, sleepiness, etc. and that's why, usually, on the prescription bottle, it says not to operate heavy machinery within a specific time span after taking that specific medication, due to the side effect(s).

Anyways, rambling aside, I hope you heard back, or will hear back from your doctor soon about this, and get it checked out. Best of luck.

It is not my medication. I knew that already, going into this and it was pretty much confirmed today. But thank you. I appreciate the input.

I did see my doctor and the first thing and only thing she brought up (other than my other thought, of not hitting REM sleep) was narcolepsy. So I have to do a sleep study and see a sleep specialist. So hopefully that won't cost much, because my parents said if it's too expensive, I can't do it.

[PurpleFlyingMonkeys]

I agree with the other posters, it sounds more like narcolepsy to me.

But I'm new to the seizure field and just started getting them or at least getting diagnosed with seizures that it. I'm not diagnosed epileptic and hope to never be as seizures are absolutely horrifying! My heart breaks for those who have to go through it on a daily basis.

For my seizures I had a couple grand mal seizures, the others I'd just get an aura and black out for 20 seconds or more, eyes darting everywhere and rolling into the back of my head. But each time before I'd have this "aura" where I felt it coming on. My body would start to tingle and I'd feel really spacy, like super spacey. Everything seemed far away and almost non existant before the seizures. I'd come to super sleepy with ears ringing a headache and at first everything was really muffled and blurred and disoriented. These symptoms aren't always what seizure patients experience but they are common.

Doctors questioned narcolepsy with me at first as well. But it was ruled out. They also diagnosed as dissociation, now they're trying to figure out of I have dissociation at all or not.

Long story short, it's important to know what is going on if it is a physical or mental issue, it does not sound like seizures but it could be, just have it all checked out and document when it happened, how it happened and how you felt when it happened every time it happens so you can bring it in to your doctor

[Hydrophobic1212]

Thank you. However, I got my lab results back and I am apparently anemic. So, that is why this is happening.