Epilepsy and ADD

I was wondering if there is any correlation between epilepsy and add. Everything started when I was in 4th grade. When I was young I was healthy and loved school. I started having a hard time concentrating and my grades dropped dramatically. My grades never fully recovered but I managed to do pretty well during school. It wasnt until I was 18 that I was diagnosed with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy. It seemed like whatever taked someone else 3 hours to do takes me 7. I get exhausted in school and it takes forever for me to finish my assignments. For example, the other day I was at work (I work in retail) and one of my co-workers assigned me a project to do. I asked him almost 4 times and even had him write it down, and it was a simple thing to do. When I ask a customer a question I forget what I asked them 2 minutes later and ask the same questions over and over again. Why do I do this? Could I also have ADD? Im on medication (Lamictal) and have had very few side effects. Ive gained a little weight and get stomach aches if I dont eat with my meds, but thats no big deal. Not being able to concentrate drives me nuts. Help!

[Dr Santos]

Hi,

How are you? There has been countless studies done that  demonstrated that patients with epilepsy have a significant increase in behavioral disturbances of all kinds, including hyperactivity and inattention. There are multiple factors considered in the evaluation of a child with epilepsy and hyperactivity or inattention. Electroencephalographic monitoring is helpful to distinguish between behavioral inattention and partial complex or absence seizures. Most antiepileptic drugs do not adversely affect attention and behavior in therapeutic doses.

Discuss this with your doctor for a referral to a neurologist or psychiatrist to rule out ADD. Take care and regards.