seizures and bipolar

[judybob]

my daughter is 15 years old and was diagnosed with bipolar about a year ago.  A few months later she started having seizures.  Has anyone else been diagnosed with bipolar prior to seizures?

[megan52]

I hit my head in December, Diagnosed with Bipolar disorder on June 2, 2009, and started having seizures around June 2012. So yes, I was diagnosed as being Bipolar before seizures.  However, I swing so fast and so suddenly, and for such a short and intense period of time that it has become suspect that the mood swings are actually extended seizures in the hippocampus/Frontal lobe area (If I'm remembering that correctly, It's been about a year). Both ailments are under control with 300mg Lamictal, which increases the suspicion that the "Bipolar" mood swings are seizures.

[megan52]

I hit my head in December, Diagnosed with Bipolar disorder on June 2, 2009, and started having seizures around June 2012. So yes, I was diagnosed as being Bipolar before seizures.  However, I swing so fast and so suddenly, and for such a short and intense period of time that it has become suspect that the mood swings are actually extended seizures in the hippocampus/Frontal lobe area (If I'm remembering that correctly, It's been about a year). Both ailments are under control with 300mg Lamictal, which increases the suspicion that the "Bipolar" mood swings are seizures.

[sam1983125]

I suffered from both illnesses as a child more signifcantly as a teen, and now in my adult life I am fully diagnosed and monitored by my physicians and clinics as having bipolar 1 and epilepsy, there is some relation to the two, but as a gene carrier of the two disorders, I feel the seizures started first at infancy, and progressed to full blown myoclonic and partial focal seizures as an adult. My brother aswell father and grandfather aswell suffer with seizures, and mental illness. Its difficult even for me to understand which disease is affecting me at the time it happens all I know is that in mania I dont get exhausted afterwords or have short term memory loss from my episodes, in siezures I can tell the difference with the partial seizures because you learn to recognise the onset of the seizure, the myoclonic siezures I come to understand need to be encouraged almost but not all of the time or something triggers them, for instance extreme adrenaline change or physical activities sometimes depending on what it is can trigger those seizures for me anyhow. As for the bipolar disorder it is pretty much under control from my siezure medication, but when having mania and epilepsy sometimes its even difficult for me to recognise the difference between the two, all accept for the symptoms of the two, usually you dont gernerally know until after the incident occurs do you know which episode from which disorder had ocurred at the time.When being born with both in the family you learn to recognise which is which over time, but it takes knowing your body, and understanding the symptoms and affects or reactions of both disorders, hope this helps.

[dollyn]

This is very hard because if she was on Drugs for the bipolar they could have caused the Seizures because some Drugs have the side effects that can cause seizures. And the other thing is that the stress of the seizures can do a lot to a person.

And what might look like Bipolar is really Seizures and is Misdiagnosed for Bipolar and ADD /ADHD .

Try giving Vitamin B6 ,B12 and Omega 3-6-9  and not the other drugs they use to treat Bipolar .These are very good for the brain.

God bless and hope this helps some.

[houstontx67]

hi I have a 17 year old that started fainting, these in turn have changed to seizures, she has seen neurologists and have been told they are pseudoseizures, at the same time during an interview at a hospital visit, she was referred to a psychiatrist for depression and was diagnosed bipolar, though she also has a cyst in her pituitary gland which was found during routine exams.   Her psych doctor is sure the cyst is causing some kind of hormone imbalance so next is a visit the doctor to get those hormones checked and hopefully help the doctors, it seems that they don't like to think or go beyond the easy diagnose. As the psych put it, since they don't have an answer for me the easiest thing is to call it psedoseizures "fake seizures' good luck

[ArcticRecon]

I have post traumatic epilepsy.  I recently have been put on Lamotrigine (lamictal)  which has been the best anti convulsant for me so far.  It is actually a bi polar medication which happens to be a very strong seizure med.. so this may be something that would benefit your daughter.. just in case u weren't aware of the med.  Hope this helps!

best

Mark

[photohiker]

I also struggled with seizures as a child and then bipolar as an adult and can't but feel subjectively that they are related.  Of course, the overlap of anti-convulsants to treat bipolar certainly seems to point to a relationship between the two.

-- Travis

[Sisteranita3]

Sorry, I suffer both ailments however, I began with the seizures as an infant.  The Bipolar began as an adult.

I would, however, be very interested to know if there is a connection and would hope that you would post any info you get on this forum.  I will add your question to my "watch list"

Thanks, Anita