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Neurology (Expert Forum)
15 Year Old Female Seizures Soon After Waking
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15 Year Old Female Seizures Soon After Waking
by FGS, Dec 18, 2004 12:00AM
My 15 year old granddaughter has started having grand mall seizures. Until recently it has always been in the morning just after she got up. She just had one this week in the afternoon after waking from a nap. She has been put on anti seizure meds and the doses are getting higher and higher but doing no good. What are some of the things that might cause this? She is a very special young woman, however, she can be a very difficult child, she is a cheerleader and VERY social. She seems angry a lot of the time until she takes her medicine. Her Parents are at their wits end and she seems out of control with her emotions. We have been attributing this to "teen angst" but could there be a correlation? Another question: Could emotional trauma (sexual abuse) as an two year old child cause this type of trauma and seizures?
Doctor's Answer
by CCF-Neuro-M.D.-CS, Dec 19, 2004 12:00AM
First it needs to be determined that these spells are epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures are caused by abnormal elecetrical activity within the brain. This can be documented by performing EEG's. One type of non-epileptic seizure is due to psychological conditions. Non-epileptic seizures can be caused by stress, such as sexual or physical abuse. It would be reasonable to have her evaluated by a neurologist who specializes in epilepsy. They can review her case and EEG's and recommend the appropriate treatment. Without having more information I cannot tell you what kind of epilepsy she has or what would be the recommended treatment. Good luck.
Epilepsy can be a scary diagnosis in someone young, perhaps she is also reacting to that, just a thought. I would say that an epitologist is your best bet.
I have also had three outpatient EEGs over the years, 2 showed some epileptic activity, one showed none. It only aids diagnosis.Hope it all works out.