Seizures??? Neurologic problems???? Hormonal???

I have been getting these for 1 1/2 years.  They only happen around the time of my period (either right before, during or 1-2 days after) and only at night.  I get nausea - sometimes profuse vomitting, diarrhea, slurred speech, difficulty walking, altered vision & hearing, ALL the muscles in my body (including heart & lungs) tighten and then I shake and jerk - usually only my arms & neck shake and jerk - I have had it in my legs before. These are very, very painful.  My jaws tighten and quiver - you can feel it on my cheeck.  My blood pressure goes up and so does my pulse.  I can tell my breathing is off along with my heart rhythm.  I feel very weak like I am going to pass out however, I don't pass out.  I am fully aware of what is going on around me so, I do not loose consciousness.  They last anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours.  Afterwards I am very tired, sore and do not feel back to normal for several days.  I have posed a video of one of the incidents on youtube.  If you type in jen2wynn in the youtube browser, you can watch it.   Or put    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C9KjOhge-I  in the web address bar ontop of your internet page and hit enter to go directly to that address.   I have been told that they were panic attacks however, I have never heard of panic attacks being this bad.  Also, if they are panic, can it make ALL the muscles in your body tighten up - heart included????  And, if they are panic attacks, why do they only happen around the time of my period????

[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. I appreciate the video you posted, but I am unable to view it. However I will try to provide you with some useful information.

The symptoms you describe seem quite long and atypical to be a seizure without consequences afterwards. However, seizures can occur (or cluster) around changes in hormones such as during the menstrual cycle. This is known as catamenial epilepsy. It would be good for you to make a diary of when these occur in relation to your menstrual cycle. Additionally, you should follow up with your primary care physician. You may need evaluation by a neurologist. An electroencephalogram (EEG) with video monitoring capturing one of these events would be very helpful.

Lastly, you did mention anxiety/panic attacks. Anxiety is a psychological and physiological condition with a multitude of symptoms. They include heart palpitations, muscle tension, fatigue, nausea, chest pain, shortness of breath, headaches, and GI symptoms such as diarrhea to name a few. Anxiety can also be accompanied with panic attacks such as a feeling of impending doom or death. However, this should be the diagnosis only after all others have been excluded.

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