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Mental Health (Expert Forum)
Epilepsy?
Answered by
Roger Gould, M.D. - Mental Health, Wellness
Questions posted in the Mental Health forum are being answered by Dr. Roger L. Gould, author of the Mastering Stress and Depression program and affiliated with the UCLA. Department of Psychiatry. Topics covered include anger, attention deficit disorder (ADD) , bipolar disorder , dementia , electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) , learning disabilities, memory, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) , panic , personality disorders, phobias , post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) , schizophrenia , stress , transitions, and work problems.
Epilepsy?
by Patient117, Mar 06, 2004 12:00AM
Hi Dr.,
I just wanted to get your opinion on this because I think it is really strange. I think I may have some sort of temporal lobe epilepsy. I hear words that I can't make out at night, and when I took a few antipsychotics for it (zyprexa, geodon, and abilify) prescribed by my psychiatrist, it helped but started to get worse all over again. Does this make any sense for an atpyical to work and improve symptoms, but then immediately after pushing back the symptoms, the symptoms are getting worse all over again? From what I know, I thought that they either work and keep working as long as you take them, or they don't work at all because the patient is treatment resistant to the medication.
Here is something else to consider. When I took these medicines they all seemed to work right away within a day, and then my
So yeah, that's my question.
Thanks.
I just wanted to get your opinion on this because I think it is really strange. I think I may have some sort of temporal lobe epilepsy. I hear words that I can't make out at night, and when I took a few antipsychotics for it (zyprexa, geodon, and abilify) prescribed by my psychiatrist, it helped but started to get worse all over again. Does this make any sense for an atpyical to work and improve symptoms, but then immediately after pushing back the symptoms, the symptoms are getting worse all over again? From what I know, I thought that they either work and keep working as long as you take them, or they don't work at all because the patient is treatment resistant to the medication.
Here is something else to consider. When I took these medicines they all seemed to work right away within a day, and then my
So yeah, that's my question.
Thanks.
Doctor's Answer
by Roger Gould, M.D., Mar 08, 2004 12:00AM
, Mar 08, 2004 12:00AM
I don't think you can use the usual reaction to drugs as a way to make a diagnosis since there is usually so much individual variation. If you are concerned re epilepsy, then an eeg and a workup by a neurologist is in order.
. . and having said that, I think you should also know that Temporal Lobe Epilepsy often does not show up on EEGs, but has a certain set of unmistakable symptoms. All of which are largely subjective, so it helps to be informed - and to consult an epileptologist, a neurologist who specializes in epilepsy. The symptoms are an interesting list: experiences of deja vu or jamai vu; hypergraphia; "seeing things" out of the corner of the eye, so to speak; spiritual experiences; sudden smells or bad tastes. . .and more. Read up!