I have heard that Epileptics almost always have anxiety and depression along with it. I guess chronic diseases will do that to you.
One of my biggest fears in life is having a seizure and being alone, or in a strange place.
This fear flares up a lot more when I am alone.
I have been doing a lot better with my anxiety these past few months.
Yesterday my boyfriend and I decided to slow down, possibly break up. Now that I find myself alone this fear is back.
I am doing the what if thinking. What if I have a seizure and they don't find me for weeks, what if I have a seizure and get in a car accident, etc.
Epilepsy
-
Guest
Hi Elaina,
I also suffer from epilepsy. To be totally honest, I first started having panic attacks after I was diagnosed with epilepsy. I have partial complex seizures, so I do not seize, but I will lose conciousness and faint at any given time. I've only had about 6 episodes in the 5 years that I have had the condition, however, almost every time I fainted I was in public.
This condition is very anxiety-producing for me as I never know when I will just drop. I usually fear having a seizure more in crowded places, thinking that I will embarass myself in front of others, as I have in the past.
Just to comment on what you had said about epileptics and the correlation between anxiety and depression: my neurologist told me that 90% of epileptics suffer from depression. Also, epileptics are more prone to psychiatric problems, such as depression, anxiety, OCD, panic disorders than others without epilepsy.
Please let me know if you have any questions about this condition or the way it effects you, as I have been dealing with it a lot. Good luck with the situation with your boyfriend. My boyfriend and I had taken a break a year ago, and my anxiety had gone sky-high at that time, too. I think that is natural. Stay strong!
I also suffer from epilepsy. To be totally honest, I first started having panic attacks after I was diagnosed with epilepsy. I have partial complex seizures, so I do not seize, but I will lose conciousness and faint at any given time. I've only had about 6 episodes in the 5 years that I have had the condition, however, almost every time I fainted I was in public.
This condition is very anxiety-producing for me as I never know when I will just drop. I usually fear having a seizure more in crowded places, thinking that I will embarass myself in front of others, as I have in the past.
Just to comment on what you had said about epileptics and the correlation between anxiety and depression: my neurologist told me that 90% of epileptics suffer from depression. Also, epileptics are more prone to psychiatric problems, such as depression, anxiety, OCD, panic disorders than others without epilepsy.
Please let me know if you have any questions about this condition or the way it effects you, as I have been dealing with it a lot. Good luck with the situation with your boyfriend. My boyfriend and I had taken a break a year ago, and my anxiety had gone sky-high at that time, too. I think that is natural. Stay strong!
-
Guest
hello i also suffer from seziures but was diagnosed with a brain disorder my brain did not develop right. my 1st seziure was 3 mths ago,but ever since that my sleep as been very messed up, either i sleep all day or stay up then sleep during the day.i hame also bi-polar and am on meds for that but is very hard for dr to treat bi-polar cause interfers with sezure meds. ty.
-
Guest
My neurologist just told me this a.m. that most epileptics have depression. I had my one and only grand mal in Nov. I had simple partial seizures for at least 8 years and didn't know they were seizures. I would get a deja vu feeling along with a feeling of anxiety and revulsion. I was depressed about the epilepsy diagnosis and not being able to drive, but now the seizures are controlled and I can drive, it's really not affecting me much other than side effects of carbamazepine. I was on generic for 6 months and had constipation, depression and anxiety, and sometimes had trouble getting the words out in a coherent fashion. Now that I'm on Carbatrol XR, at a slightly lower dose, these symptoms aren't as bad. But I'm still having problems with depression. I've had depression bouts before, but my husband insisted this was different and that the meds were causing it. I thought it was the situation described above plus a cross-country move that I was very unhappy about. Now that warnings have come out about some epilepsy meds linked with suicidal thoughts and depression, I wonder if my husband was more right about this than I. I have had some of these thoughts since Dec. They are usually pretty fleeting, and I don't think I would ever act on them. The neurologist says Carbatrol has some anti-depressant effect, so I don't know what to think. Anyone else have experience with this drug? How about Lamictal? My doctor is suggesting this as an alternative. I really hate to add an antidepressant and have more side effects, and I'm reluctant to go off a drug that's controlling the seizures so well, but I feel like I'm wasting my life away feeling like this and spending so much time not doing anything productive. That's why I decided to try this program.