First seizures in late teens; just looking for some info, other stories?

Posted By Allison on July 31, 1998 at 21:13:39:







I am 17 years old and until this time have been more or less reasonably healthy.  However, yesterday afternoon  while watching television at a friend's house I experienced my first (and hopefully last!) seizure.  I don't remember anything until I woke up in the ambulance, and we must have been nearly to the hospital at that point.  My friend had called my parents and they met us there.  I woke up fully in the ER and was told that I had had a seizure.  This was news to me!  The worst problems I've had in my short life have been asthma, for which I am currently on Claritin D 24 hr., Pulmicort Turbuhaler, and occasionally Proventil inhaler (as needed).  I am also on Nordette 28 for menstrual cramps.  They took a CT scan at the hospital, and I went to a neurologist today and had an EEG dome.  I will be scheduled for an MRI shortly.  I am not currently sick, I am in fairly good shape, and all of my blood tests at the hospital came out normal, as did the CT scan and the EEG.  I feel ok today except for a few sore muscles and a raw patch on my tongue which I must have bitten.  The neurologist told me that the only medication that could have caused it would be the Claritin, but I've been taking other antihistimines for years with no problems.  I also found out today that my cousin who is now in his late twenties had one seizure when he was 12 or so, and then nothing until a few years ago.  He is now being treated with phenobarbitol.  The few days prior to theis I was looking at colleges, walking around outside in the heat.  I never could handle heat well, but again, the neurologist said that it was unlikely that the heat would have made me that ill.  I am also prone to headaches now that I'm on the Pill.  Anyway, all I want is some advice on what may have caused this first seizure at 17 years of age.  I had no birth complications, no illnesses in infancy, no head injuries ever.  Are there other things that could cause this if all the tests came out normal?  Has anyone else out there had this happen to them?  Please let me know.  I'm not allowed to drive again until February; please tell me I'm not the only one.  I'm particularly interested in people like me who were perfectly normal for a long time and then had a seizure out of nowhere.  Thanks for your help!