Questions posted in the Neurology and Neurosurgery Forum have been answered by doctors from The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

Question Title: Behavioral Changes (day to day)

Forum: Neurology Forum
Topic: Sleep

Re: Behavioral Changes (day to day)

Re: Behavioral Changes (day to day)

Posted by CCF MD GS on March 03, 1998 at 10:19:09:

In Reply to: Behavioral Changes (day to day) posted by Marty on March 02, 1998 at 18:32:29:

: For a little over a year now my wife has been having drastic behavioral changes.
Some days she is just fine, perfectly normal, then some days it's like she
is just in her own world or even worse. Generally it starts with her being
very hyper, and OC about cleaning the house and getting supper ready (maybe at
2 pm), then she will slowly deteriorate. Her eyes are opened large, her pupils
dilated to nearly twice the normal size, her speech becomes slurred, she begins
to have problems maneuvering (staggering around), and she can't carry on a conversation.
It's almost like a drunken or dream state she is in, sometimes she gets violent
but generally it leads to her falling into a pseudo-sleep. She moans and sometimes
screams like someone is hurting her.
This all started about a year ago. She went through some very distressing times
and she also started the Fen/Phen diet about that time. She is still taking
Phenteramine. She has taken Prozac, and I think Zoloft? She has had alcohol
problems in the past, but there are times that she does this when I know she
could not have been drinking. Sometimes she will go 2 or 3 weeks at a time without
ever relapsing into one of these states and other times she may be like this
every day for a week. The therapist, and Prozac seem to have no influence on
this what-so-ever.
Last week she had a seizure, the first one in her life (she is 28). She has an
appointment with a neurologist this week. How is all of this related? Should she
be seeking psychiatric, neurological, medical attention or what? Is there any
information you can give me as to what might be the cause of this so I can do more research?
Please help, I have done all I know to do and I can't seem to find anything or anyone
with the same type of symptoms.
Thank you very much
Marty
all of this related?


Thanks Marty. All of these problems sound very distressing to me and I'm sure that the problem is multifactorial but here are a few thoughts. When you were going through the story I started to wonder if your wife was having seizures and then you state she had a seizure. Some seizures can present with mental status changes and not the typical ram and leg shaking. I hope she was evaluated after the seizure to look for a cause. Some types of encephalities (inflammation of the brain usuallyby a virus) can cause strange behavioral changes but it sounds like she may go a significant period with no problem. Herpes encephalities often presents with behavioral changes and seizures. I'm not sure what to make of the Fen/Phen - I have no experience with it and these types of problems. The alcohol history complicates all the above and brings in concerns of other substance abuse problems. I agree that your wife needs to see a neurologist and a psychiatrist ASAP. A through history and physical exam will be very helpful. It sounds like she should also have a MRI, EEG and lumbar puncture. Good luck with this difficult problem
This information is provided for general medical education purposes only. Please consult your doctor for diagnostic and treatment options of your specific medical condition.
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