Deja vu problems

I have deja vu a lot.  I've heard people aren't supposed to have deja vu that often, which concerns me.  People that have deja vu often are said to possibly have partial seizures or temporal lobe epilepsy.  Sometimes I feel like I have some kind of partial seizures, but they have never been caught on EEG's.  I get deja vu episodes about twice or sometimes more a month.  My deja vu episodes are also accompanied by a feeling of dread, fear, and/or nausea.  How often is too often to have deja vu?  Could I be having partial seizures?

[Christopher R Newey, DO]

Thanks for using the forum. I am happy to address your questions, and my answer will be based on the information you provided here. Please make sure you recognize that this forum is for educational purposes only, and it does not substitute for a formal office visit with a doctor.

Without the ability to examine and obtain a history, I can not tell you what the exact cause of the symptoms is. However I will try to provide you with some useful information.

Déjà vu is the sense of already have experienced or seen an event that is happening for the first time. This phenomenon is a common occurrence in many “normal” people especially in states of fatigue or intoxication. However, it is also seen in people with disorders such as seizures, particularly those seizures arising from the part of the brain called the temporal lobe, and also in persons with underlying psychiatric disorders such as anxiety or depression.

I recommend that you follow up with your physician regarding these episodes of déjà vu. If you have other findings such as numbness/tingling traveling through the body, abnormal behaviors such as lipsmacking, or loss of consciousness, you should probably see a neurologist for a seizure workup that may include blood tests to evaluate your chemistry and also an EEG to evaluate the electrical activity of your brain. (I understand that you have had an EEG in the past, but an extended EEG capturing the event would be helpful). He/she may then want to obtain an MRI of the brain to rule out structural causes of your symptoms.

Thank you for this opportunity to answer your questions, I hope you find the information I have provided useful, good luck.