Headache causing seizures?

[Paul D]

My daughter is 26 years old, she has had severe headaches for the last 7 years.  Our family Dr. has been trying to treat her for migraines using several different types of drugs.  None of the drugs had any affect on the headaches.  These headaches are severe and after trying to live with the pain for 3 to 4 days we finally have to take her to the Dr. for strong pain medicine which will usually arrest  the pain for a few days.

Finally we found a Dr in our local ER that diagnosed her with occipital neuralgia, our family Dr. confirmed the diagnosis by giving her a nerve block during one of her headaches which  stopped the headache in about 1 hour and allowed her to go 11 days completely pain free.  That is the longest she has gone without a headache in the last 7 years.

For some reason our family Dr. doesn't want to continue giving her the shots to block the occipital nerve.  So we are forced back to the normal cycle of severe pain and heavy doses of pain meds.  

In April she suffered what appeared to be a major seizure following several days of headache pain.  Prior to the seizure she had been on the drug Depakote for 3 months or so  for the headaches with no effect.  And prior to the Depakote she had been on Lyrica for several years again with little to no affect on the headaches.  She decided to ease off the Depakote since it didn't help and had been completely off the drug for 2 days when the seizure hit.  The Dr. ordered an EEG following the seizure, which according the the Dr. appeared normal.

Then in July (about 2 months later) she suffered another seizure, the only common thread that we can see between the two seizures is she had a severe headache for several days prior to both seizures.

This is the only seizures she has ever had, and she is of course worried about loosing her job over this, since her job requires her to drive.

Could the severe headache pain from the occipital neuralgia have been the trigger of these seizures?  We have an appointment for her to see a neurologist but not until September 12th.  Is there anything we should be doing short term and is there anything that we should ask the neurologist when we see him?

Thanks

[dbusboom]

Good Afternoon, I'm in the same boat.  Just last week a nasty migraine came on and within minutes I also was suffering from vertigo nausea and symptoms of having a seizure. Confusion, blurred vision inability to remember etc, sensitive to light and sound you name it.....  Two days later being severely dehydrated and in severe pain my husband took me to the ER.  The ER gave me iv fluids, narcotics, valium for the vertigo and anti-nausea medications.  Of course I felt temporarily better so I was discharged.  Low and behold the next day I experienced only what my husband and I could call a seizure again with vertigo and severe migraine pain.  I was beside myself in in pain.  Once again my husband rushed me to the ER.  Where they did some test, cat scan, blood work etc, all which came back clean.  The hospital made the choice of admitting me.  I was in the hospital getting meds around the clock for comfort. Still throwing up not sleeping and in more pain then I cold describe.  Finally, yesterday with little relief i was forcibly discharged told to sign documentation I had no idea what  was signing due to I was so heavily medicated and my husband was not present. he showed up in time to drive the car up and and take me home or I'm afraid I would have been left in the lobby. The hospital scheduled an appointment with my PCP.  I had no idea what was in my discharge paperwork .  I did not realize till at y PCP's office that i hadI signed a document that allowed the ER not to treat me for a migraine with out a medication contract stating what I can and can't have and I'm not to return to the ER without orders from my PCP on file.  I had no idea. My husband simply brought me in due to I had seizure like symptoms, severe dehydration and level 10 pain to say the least.  Now, here I am still in pain. Using an audible typing system trying to function and having NO refuge. My PCP was baffled as to why a contract would have to be on file since he nor any other doctors have ever given me pain medications for my migraines.  They had been managed fairly well with Bultabs, zofran and 800advil.   NOW I'm at a loss.  It's astonishing to know what this hospital did to me.  Not only was I rushed out of the hospital but while I was there the 3 day I did NOT see a doctor ONCE and who i did see was a nurse practitioner TWO times. I felt bullied and and I felt like I was being looked at as a seeker or abuser when all i wanted was to be pain free.  What do you do when you no longer can get treatment from your local ER?  This is my first severe migraines outbreak in over 4 months.  I have several allergies which makes my treatment more difficult as well.  I was told by a nurse that simply too many people will use the excuse of migraines to get narcotics since migraines can not be truly diagnosed or show up on any test.  because or the "those" I've ben banned.  I live in fear now of what happens if I have another episode and I can't get treated.  Where and what do I and my husband do.  My husband has considered getting a lawyer because no ne should sign discharge paperwork while under the influence. you have no idea what you are signing.  They will not let you drive home but they will allow you to sign legal documentation?  So, here I am in pain, throwing up with little relief and just praying another seizure like episode come along because I don't know what we'd do then.

[Aaleayha]

I have been having seizures for the past 5 years and severe head pain and such. I have had all the tests done and everything came back normal. They tried telling me it was all mental. In 2013, I was diagnosed with Occipital Neuralgia and I started getting two occipital nerve blocks to the back of my head every 3 months and the seizures completely stop until the shots wear off.

No doctor around here knows why this has helped and they won't look into it. They only persistently tell me that it's still all a subconscious psychological problem. I'll be watching so let us know what they have been updating you with, please!

[melekie]

Sorry for missed letters my post but hope you are able to read it about my migraine and mobile phones I meant that maybe my migraines  nothing to do with past falls my head as they started same  time when I was a bit to over enthusiastic when first mobiles  came about all though never started using or buying one until 1997 I put 1999. Ps I worked in Istanbul as a nanny late in life. Plus I would also like to mention.about being a retired nursing assistant so do know allot  of medical issues and especially about young people adults.as have NVQ3 .Also headaches in the young such as teenagers  early 20 s could be hormonal headaches so they say.

[melekie]

Hi I read somewhere recently think was Google that near where your head meets your back kneck and spine sometimes the bone in some people  can be narrow and causes a problem with  serable fluid   build up.This can lead to  bad migraine.Mine always start behind my right eye and then stabbing  pains top right  my head  they call that  cluster  head aches.This pain stopped me in my tracks so bad and then sometimes my arms legs go numb. Plus after two days subsides and then traps to my Ozer kneck area at base of my skull. Also very sore I ne er had headaches my ife  but have had several falls my side on right due to I loose my balance because have heredity foot deformities and just  fall my face .I   can't save my self.I also had a lazy  eye  when younger  ut .o heads he's ever .I have had.noticed if I use my mobile  my left head causes a pain my right side head.I now text  a.d try to avoid contact my head   If youood at facts they do amitt  radio waves.I notice these comments are mostly young people even ten year olds  Maybe they have  mobiles  .I just thinking now  maybe  
my falls nothing to do with my falls.Also it is worth having  your hearing checked straining.your ears  hearing can cause headaches and how  often do the young listen to music via their mobile  phones.!! I'm 69 but did not start using mobiles until about 1999..Worth a thought hope this may help.

[dawne64]

i started having severe headaches and seizures 3 years ago.   can't seem to get a proper diagnosis.  ct scan is normal.   But yes the two are definately related, the stronger the head pain, the more seizures i have...
Still searching for answers, not very helpful doctor.    Good luck to you and your daughter.   Sounds similar to my issues, so i will keep watching for updates

[twinb19]

My daughter is 22 and  has been diagnosed with  ON and has seizure episodes when she has a headache since she was 16. Is on all the medicine and has had the nerve block and it has worked but  when it wears off it bad. Took a longtime for a diagnosis . This past nerve block didnt have results like the last one  did. Her employer doesnt understand and has cut her days of work to once a week. She will have periods when this will happen and when not she seems to live a normal life. Very frustrating for her, and exhausting as well. Its hard to see her like that with no fix!

[Dr Sharma]

Hi there. Treatment of persistent occipital neuralgia pain could include opiates, anti depressants like amitryptilline, duloxetine and injections of pain relieving drugs like directly at the site of pain.  Complimentary treatments include acupuncture, massage therapy and yoga. The association of occipital neuralgia and the seizures in your child cannot be ascertained. The causes of occipital neuralgia are head trauma, injury to neck, trapping of nerve roots in neck, diabetes etc. risk factors are infection or inflammation of muscles and nerves behind head and pressure on muscles and nerves in the back of head. These could not be responsible for seizures so the child needs a seizure investigation protocol including an EEG and MRI brain and spine to rule out ant lesions like tumors as the cause. Hope this helps. Take care.

[Tinatea]

Hello Paul D., I would like to know what your daughter's neurologist said about the migraines causing her seizures because it has happened to me a few times by where my migraines have caused me to have what the doctor suspects are seizures as well.  My doctor has never investigated the possible seizures and I haven't had any for some time, but like your daughter, for me the only common factor was I had a severe migraine when the seizures were brought on.  I'm not able to work, I get far too many migraines to hold a job, depsite me working hard when at work.  Doesn't matter what we do (change diet, meds) nothing works to get rid of or dull these migraines.  I haven't heard of nerve blocking shots before, but I'll ask my doctor about them.  I'm going to save the link for this webpage in my favourites and check back in September in hopes you'll have posted what your daughter's neurologist said because maybe this will give me some answers too.  Thank you very much. :)