Posted by Elizabeth on October 2, 2001, at 11:47:38
In reply to Re: elusive putative seizure disorder » Elizabeth, posted by PattyG on October 1, 2001, at 16:04:15
Patty --
> This brings to mind another question - have you (or anyone) ever heard of a scan/study called BEAM?
Yes. "Brain electrical activity mapping" -- same thing as a quantitative EEG (qEEG), I think. Lorraine has had this done, she would be able to tell you more about it.
> I mentioned it to the neurologist and he quickly told me to "take with a grain of salt" what I might read or learn about on the Internet!
That's good advice.
> He had a feeling of being lightheaded and then immediately fell to the ground, convulsed, frothed at the mouth, eyes rolled back in head - did not lose control of bowels or bladder - lasted about 1 -2 minutes - was very disoriented after they happened and b/p was elevated somewhat. He also threw his shoulder out of socket this last time. I *think* the doc called them complex partials (will have to check)
He had convulsions? I didn't, that I know of. Then again, when the seizure actually occurred (if that's what it was), there wasn't anybody around. I had no real warning, I just blacked out. I had been feeling a little under the weather that day, but I had no idea anything like this was going to happen, and I don't remember anything in particular happening right before I lost consciousness. It took somewhere around 30 minutes for me to become aware again. When my boyfriend got home, I was just sitting in a chair, unconscious. He checked my ABC's (airway, breathing, and circulation, that is) and they were all okay. He managed to get me to "wake up" with a cold wet washcloth, but I still wasn't aware. My pupils were completely dilated and nonreactive. I didn't speak (or otherwise vocalise) or respond when my boyfriend spoke to me, but I was walking around and stuff. He was afraid that I'd had a stroke or something.
> Wow! A neurophomaracologist! Pretty handy to have around, right?:)
Yes, I have an in-house consultant. :-) (We first got to be friends because of our common interest.)
> So what would his thoughts be regarding the pot?
Surprisingly, he doesn't know -- he studied the effects of a lot of psychoactive drugs on animals, but not that particular one, it would seem. (He did work with opioids, benzodiazepines, and antidepressants.) I looked around for some info, but I couldn't find much, and what I could find seemed to be inconclusive or contradictory. How often does he smoke it?
> The ER doc prescribed the Dilantin and the neurologist said to stick with it (I had asked about Topamax - he said too many side effects with that!) Maybe he's waiting until all tests are completed?
Yeah, if he changed something that could confuse things. But Topamax is probably safer and more tolerable than Dilantin is. (It does tend to cause weight loss, so if your son is a skinny guy it may not be the best choice.) Some anticonvulsants are better than others for particular types of seizures, and that might be one reason to choose Dilantin over something else. Dilantin is also a very old drug and its efficacy is well-established, so many doctors may prefer it over newer anticonvulsants.
I hope this helps. It's good to talk to you. Give your son my best wishes.
-elizabeth
poster:Elizabeth
thread:79454
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010927/msgs/80047.html