Aa
Brain Lockup/Stutter-HELP!
Hey all. I had a rather frightening episode last week that has left me baffled and confused about the past diagnosis of suffering from merely "Panic Attacks and Panic Disorder" as most of my doctors have claimed, and left me to question what REALLY is going on with me??
Let me tell you a little about myself.
AHEM.
My name is Crystal, and I am now 24 years old. All of my symptoms started on October 31st, 2006 when I experienced a bout of severe chest pain and what felt like heart palpitations and lightheadedness, and points where it felt like my heart "stopped." It caused me to PANIC thinking I was having a heart attack or something, since I didn't know what the heck it was, and it lasted for maybe 1/2 hour to 45 minutes off and on.
Well, after that first day I had chest-pain related attacks every day.
I was admitted to the ER and ran tons of bloodwork for blood count, thyroid and who knows what else, as well as an EKG and a chest CT which all came back normal.
I do have minor Mitral Valve Prolapse and Tricuspid Regurgitation, but they said this was not causing my symptoms and it was just panic attacks and injected me with 2MG of Ativan and after all the tests came back negative sent me on my way.
I went to my GP, who put me on Toprol XL, which I am now on 50 MG a day, and it has helped for the chest pains and increased heartrate/irregular heartrate, yet I still was getting attacks, so my doctor put me on Zoloft since it was at this time she suspected Panic Attacks/Anxiety, yet it only made NEW symptoms appear and my life more of a living hell!!
I started getting head electrical surges that would surge through my brain, up and down my spine and cause my entire body to tremble, I would feel light-headed, my vision would go blotchy at times, the electrical surge would radiate up and down my spine and even into my arms and legs at times, I would have parathesias (basically one side of my body would feel numb, including my face), and of course I would start to panic since my heart would also race releasing adrenaline into my body and only making the symptoms worse. I eventually quit the Zoloft cold-turkey after a month after my doctor finally became convinced it was causing my new onset symptoms, but that was a HUGE mistake on her part, for now I had to go through a worse living hell.
I would wake up in the middle of the night SCREAMING because it felt like my brain was going entirely haywire-PHYSICALLY SPEAKING, not emotionally. I cannot even describe it. It felt like I was about to go into convulsions or something, but never did. God it was horrid. I had no control over the sensations, which passed in a few minutes or 10-30 seconds at the most.
I have had limb tremors, as I call them, where I would have an episode where I would get one of my head-electrical attacks which would then cause the numbness in one side of my body, and a few times either one of my arms or legs buckled up and I could NOT MOVE IT!!! I could only stare at my leg or arm until the sensation in it returned and I was able to move it again and I could feel the arm/leg go "erect" and I was able to move it again.
I started on a mult-vitamin, since I thought maybe I had a vitamin deficiency, and I cannot express how that alone seemed to alleviate 80-90% of my symptoms.
For some reason, though, I stopped the med, but I did start taking Lorazepam for the Panic Attacks and other symptoms I was experiencing, and it has done wonders. Yet now this recent incident has caused me to question the diagnosis of Panic Attacks and Panic Disorder and wonder if something else more neurological or chemical is going on??
I am now working at a store near where I live as a sales associate, and while greeting a customer (please not that I had taken my Lorazepam 1/2 hour or more prior to this), I felt like my brain physically locked up on the left side of my brain near where the vocal region is located, and I could not even say what I was trying to say. Instead I found myself in a constant stutter of where I left off right before the brain lock-up, as I call it, occurred. It passed after about 10 seconds or so, and left me baffled as to what the heck caused it, and I must have looked like a stuttering idiot to the customers, and I want to get this resolved. Could it simply be the new found stresses of work since I had been off for a year due to the panic attacks and neurological/physiological symptoms that aggravated me during that time? Or is there something more neurological/pathological going on that I should get checked out?
Late last year I did get an EEG and regular MRI (without contrast) done as well as a complete neurological work-up when I had the other head-related problems, but all came back fine. I was going to get a 24 hour EEG done, but the tape was ruined so I vouched to NOT get another one done again since I didn't suspect seizures at the time. But now I just don't know what is going on with me. I would have also had an MRI with contrast done, but I barely got the one done WITH contrast since I had a head electrical sensation attack on the table while doing the MRI without contrast, and I was just barely able to get the 4 or so images required to finish it.
I am feeling much better, I must say, but that recent "brain lockup/stutter" incident leaves me baffled and confused. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks!
Let me tell you a little about myself.
AHEM.
My name is Crystal, and I am now 24 years old. All of my symptoms started on October 31st, 2006 when I experienced a bout of severe chest pain and what felt like heart palpitations and lightheadedness, and points where it felt like my heart "stopped." It caused me to PANIC thinking I was having a heart attack or something, since I didn't know what the heck it was, and it lasted for maybe 1/2 hour to 45 minutes off and on.
Well, after that first day I had chest-pain related attacks every day.
I was admitted to the ER and ran tons of bloodwork for blood count, thyroid and who knows what else, as well as an EKG and a chest CT which all came back normal.
I do have minor Mitral Valve Prolapse and Tricuspid Regurgitation, but they said this was not causing my symptoms and it was just panic attacks and injected me with 2MG of Ativan and after all the tests came back negative sent me on my way.
I went to my GP, who put me on Toprol XL, which I am now on 50 MG a day, and it has helped for the chest pains and increased heartrate/irregular heartrate, yet I still was getting attacks, so my doctor put me on Zoloft since it was at this time she suspected Panic Attacks/Anxiety, yet it only made NEW symptoms appear and my life more of a living hell!!
I started getting head electrical surges that would surge through my brain, up and down my spine and cause my entire body to tremble, I would feel light-headed, my vision would go blotchy at times, the electrical surge would radiate up and down my spine and even into my arms and legs at times, I would have parathesias (basically one side of my body would feel numb, including my face), and of course I would start to panic since my heart would also race releasing adrenaline into my body and only making the symptoms worse. I eventually quit the Zoloft cold-turkey after a month after my doctor finally became convinced it was causing my new onset symptoms, but that was a HUGE mistake on her part, for now I had to go through a worse living hell.
I would wake up in the middle of the night SCREAMING because it felt like my brain was going entirely haywire-PHYSICALLY SPEAKING, not emotionally. I cannot even describe it. It felt like I was about to go into convulsions or something, but never did. God it was horrid. I had no control over the sensations, which passed in a few minutes or 10-30 seconds at the most.
I have had limb tremors, as I call them, where I would have an episode where I would get one of my head-electrical attacks which would then cause the numbness in one side of my body, and a few times either one of my arms or legs buckled up and I could NOT MOVE IT!!! I could only stare at my leg or arm until the sensation in it returned and I was able to move it again and I could feel the arm/leg go "erect" and I was able to move it again.
I started on a mult-vitamin, since I thought maybe I had a vitamin deficiency, and I cannot express how that alone seemed to alleviate 80-90% of my symptoms.
For some reason, though, I stopped the med, but I did start taking Lorazepam for the Panic Attacks and other symptoms I was experiencing, and it has done wonders. Yet now this recent incident has caused me to question the diagnosis of Panic Attacks and Panic Disorder and wonder if something else more neurological or chemical is going on??
I am now working at a store near where I live as a sales associate, and while greeting a customer (please not that I had taken my Lorazepam 1/2 hour or more prior to this), I felt like my brain physically locked up on the left side of my brain near where the vocal region is located, and I could not even say what I was trying to say. Instead I found myself in a constant stutter of where I left off right before the brain lock-up, as I call it, occurred. It passed after about 10 seconds or so, and left me baffled as to what the heck caused it, and I must have looked like a stuttering idiot to the customers, and I want to get this resolved. Could it simply be the new found stresses of work since I had been off for a year due to the panic attacks and neurological/physiological symptoms that aggravated me during that time? Or is there something more neurological/pathological going on that I should get checked out?
Late last year I did get an EEG and regular MRI (without contrast) done as well as a complete neurological work-up when I had the other head-related problems, but all came back fine. I was going to get a 24 hour EEG done, but the tape was ruined so I vouched to NOT get another one done again since I didn't suspect seizures at the time. But now I just don't know what is going on with me. I would have also had an MRI with contrast done, but I barely got the one done WITH contrast since I had a head electrical sensation attack on the table while doing the MRI without contrast, and I was just barely able to get the 4 or so images required to finish it.
I am feeling much better, I must say, but that recent "brain lockup/stutter" incident leaves me baffled and confused. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks!
BUMP!! Help anyone else??? I also have been diagnosed with a VERY low Vitamin D levels, and am suspicious as to what is causing it. The normal range is 32-100, and mine was at 7!!!! Am taking 50,000 IU of Vit. D2 twice a week for now until it gets back to normal, but what is causing this myriad of symptoms and my low Vit. D.???
Thanks Greg. I hope so too. I also had a very low Vit. D. when I had some bloodwork done. Could this be attributing to any of my symptoms? If ANYBODY could help, that would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.
I didn't miss anything. And I've been thru everything you have. I just characterize your symptoms differently than you. Hope you get the neurological explanation you want.
Perhaps you missed what I said in my last post Greg. My brain seemed to LOCK UP, and it made me INCAPABLE of saying the word I wanted to say. Once I felt my brain "unlock" so-to-speak, I was able to continue the conversation and finish what I had to say. But it was the brain that caused it, it wasn't just a simple stuttering episode as if I was talking too fast (which I occassionally do, but rarely, since I do talk faster than the average person). It was NOT one of those "tongue-tied" episodes (where you just can't seem to get the word out with your tongue), so to speak. It was the BRAIN ITSELF causing the situation, which seems more neuroleptic in origin rather than panic/anxiety related, which is why I questioned it? And this is the whole reason why I came to you all about it in the first place, since I figured a forum knowledgeable in the neurological field may have more knowledge on this (perhaps another individual who has experienced it or could explain it) and can explain to me what went on and what other tests I can get to rule out other possibilities?
Thanks!!
~Crystal P.~
Thanks!!
~Crystal P.~
Hi Dragon.
This is a patient forum, so folks just chime in when they can, which is why response may have been slow to your question. I've taken the same medications you have, so I think I can comment. The Zoloft sometimes causes the electrical surges you had and that whole nightmarish episode. I'm glad you're rid of it. The vitamins you took offset your bad reaction to it, as B vits soothe nerve transmission.
I believe your heart health issue is what started this whole thing, causing you to feel panic... when the heart beats too fast, the body revs up into fight-or-flight response, which is why the Toprol heart medicine helps you with all that. Beta blockers in general help a person feel less anxious becuz they slow the heart and make it more regular.
I think Ativan should just be used as a short-term solution to your overall health picture, just keep that in mind, mention the notion to your doc, but do NOT go off it by yourself. There are milder cousin-drugs to lorazepam they can give you.
That Ativan can dry out your mouth and possibly is what goofed up your nomal flow of speech, that day at work, but I think your stuttering was mostly new-job stress, just as you suspected. Since your heart has a tendency to "go wild" in general, just recognize it's a heart thing, and that mental note will help keep you calmer in those situations. Also, to physically slow the heart down, you can deep-breathe while counting to ten, slowly in and out on each count, with a couple normal breaths in between. You probably won't even get to ten before you start feeling normal.
GG
This is a patient forum, so folks just chime in when they can, which is why response may have been slow to your question. I've taken the same medications you have, so I think I can comment. The Zoloft sometimes causes the electrical surges you had and that whole nightmarish episode. I'm glad you're rid of it. The vitamins you took offset your bad reaction to it, as B vits soothe nerve transmission.
I believe your heart health issue is what started this whole thing, causing you to feel panic... when the heart beats too fast, the body revs up into fight-or-flight response, which is why the Toprol heart medicine helps you with all that. Beta blockers in general help a person feel less anxious becuz they slow the heart and make it more regular.
I think Ativan should just be used as a short-term solution to your overall health picture, just keep that in mind, mention the notion to your doc, but do NOT go off it by yourself. There are milder cousin-drugs to lorazepam they can give you.
That Ativan can dry out your mouth and possibly is what goofed up your nomal flow of speech, that day at work, but I think your stuttering was mostly new-job stress, just as you suspected. Since your heart has a tendency to "go wild" in general, just recognize it's a heart thing, and that mental note will help keep you calmer in those situations. Also, to physically slow the heart down, you can deep-breathe while counting to ten, slowly in and out on each count, with a couple normal breaths in between. You probably won't even get to ten before you start feeling normal.
GG
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Neurology Community
Top Neurology Answerers
Allentown, PA
ON
Queensland, Australia
Queen Creek, AZ
Find out how beta-blocker eye drops show promising results for acute migraine relief.
In this special Missouri Medicine report, doctors examine advances in diagnosis and treatment of this devastating and costly neurodegenerative disease.
Here are 12 simple – and fun! – ways to boost your brainpower.
Discover some of the causes of dizziness and how to treat it.
Discover the common causes of headaches and how to treat headache pain.
Two of the largest studies on Alzheimer’s have yielded new clues about the disease
