Wednesday, December 6, 2006

Patient Update December 6, 2006

Brief: Patient diagnosed with seizures on the EEG test - details not yet known- appointment scheduled.

We are busy researching GABA, ZINC, etc.. This post is a note pad for some links that need follow up by the Family. We've read seizure can produce effects of SZ.

http://www.sfn.org/index.cfm?pagename=brainBriefings_epilepsyAndGABA

"When GABA is low in the brain, impulsive behaviors are not inhibited (stopped) by logical or reasonable thinking... Low levels of GABA are also associated with epilepsy or seizure disorders.... Low levels of GABA make it easy for the brain to develop seizures which is why seizures are part of the withdrawal syndrome for many substances that work with GABA such as alcohol and tranquilizers. Substances that artificially maintain a high level of GABA, when stopped, create a dramatic drop in GABA levels, thus creating the risk for withdrawal seizures due to the chemical instability that is created."
http://www.enotalone.com/article/4118.html

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v376/n6536/abs/376174a0.html

--gjh

Patient has experienced "tonic seizures." There's a possibility that patient's drooping of the eyes is a tonic seizure. Falling episodes could be seizure or low blood pressure.
Patient has also experienced "sensory seizures" that involve having strange tastes in mouth, hearing voices, feeling physical touch, experiencing smells that don't exist, visible hallucinations.
It is not clear yet whether patient's seizures are classified as epileptic or nonepileptic.

--sw

"Psychological causes of NES (non epileptic seizures)

Any experiences that we have, whether good or bad, can have a deep and long-lasting effect on us. Everyone has their own way of dealing with their experiences. For some people, the NES they have are their brain's way of dealing with past painful experiences . . . The causes of NES may be past experiences such as bereavements, divorce, abuse or other emotional difficulties. On-going stress may also cause them, such as work, family or money worries. Some people may not know the cause of their seizures. Some people may not think stress is a possible cause as it may be a normal part of their life."

"NES may be part of post-traumatic stress disorder - a condition that sometimes happens after a traumatic or stressful event."

"A diagnosis of NES means that the seizures the person has are not epileptic. Because the seizures are not epileptic, there is no need to take anti-epileptic medication. Unless someone has both epileptic and non-epileptic seizures, any anti-epileptic drugs that have been prescribed are usually stopped when a diagnosis of NES is made."

http://www.epilepsynse.org.uk/PAGES/info/leaflets/factsnea.cfm

--sw