Bipolar and Epilepsy

[Seph1212]

Previously in this forum I've said, "Maybe the anti-convulsant mood stabilizers should really be called a class of brain stabilizers. As both epileptics and manic depressives find that end result. It's also interesting that 'kindling' is a concept for both disorders."

The current thinking is that bipolar is on a spectrum of affective disorders or even on a spectrum that includes schizo-affective disorder and schizophrenia on it's high end.

What consideration have any of you given to bipolar being on a spectrum of affective-epileptic disorders? I've seen others ask this question on the internets.

I ask this firstly because of the use of anti-convulsants in both, but also because there are a lot of overlap in symptoms, not only in the kindling concept but also especially in simple partial seizures. Having read the symptoms of simple partial seizures in regards to myself, I thought, oh really?

There is also a higher co-morbidity between the two disorders than in the general population.

This doesn't mean that bipolar couldn't be on both spectra, whether it's a longer one dimensional spectrum or a two dimensional spectrum with bipolar at it's intersection.

[bwray]

I have been epileptic since a bout of bacterial meningitis in 2004. I have been on Keppra, Depakote, topamax, and now being switched to Lamactil. The seizures i have are sleep induced grand mal seizures and then when i am awake, i have bouts that feel like electrical surges inside my brain causing convulsions and inability to control muscles in my arms and legs. My epileptologist at my recent appointment now seems to believe it is all Bipolar disorder related.I am unsure of this diagnosis being as how all this began a week after the meningitis almost killed me and deteriorated my brain to the capacity of severe memory loss and has caused me disability issues in my spine. EEG reports read a reaction to certain hertz of sound waves. Stress i believe is a factor but soley bipolar disorder? Thoughts on this issue please...

[Seph1212]

I hadn't heard of the anti-inflamitory hypothesis. I had read that lithium and anti-convulsants are thought to be sodium channel blockers and therefore decrease electrical activity in specific parts of the brain. I would like to know if brain scans have been used to contrast/compare epileptics and manic depressives.

By the way I do take 3 capsules of fish oil a day. I started this due to high lipids though, and my triglycerides and LDL have plummeted while my HDL (good cholesterol) has risen. This is true even though I began to eat a high meat (and fat) and vegetable diet about 9 months ago. I avoid grains, potatoes, milk, fruit juice, and sugar.

This (I think combined with Lamicatal) has also resulted in a 30 pound weight loss.

[paranoid_cataclysm]

Here is a previous post not too long ago that dealt with the topic and also showed us that they discovered the working mechanism behind Lithium.

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Bipolar-Disorder/Uncovering-some-lithium-secrets/show/1251298