“Am I having Seizures? ”
Female | 16 years old
Complaint duration: Since 2018, idk the exact date.
Medications: Enalapril
Conditions: Mitral Valve Leakage, Atrial septul defect, and more that I don't remember. Sorry-
3 Answers
NeurologistSeizuresThe serious one is whether these are seizures. If they are seizures, you are at risk of injury, it is dangerous to drive or engage in other activities that would put you or others in danger if you have a period of altered consciousness. Note that any cause of altered consciousness, including sleep attacks and heart rhythm changes, could cause danger as well.
There is no easy way to be sure. It is necessary to try to record or provoke the spells, while doing electroencephalographic (EEG, brain wave) recordings. This may include prolonged ambulatory recording or recording in an Epilepsy Monitoring Unit. If you have a severe spell and end up in the emergency department, there is a blood test that is sometimes helpful.
If it is not epilepsy, as proven by recordings that show normal brain activity during the spells, then it is still important to consider the other causes, for the reasons listed above.
In short, seeing a qualified specialist and going through an investigation is needed. In order not to put people on medicine for a lifetime, we rarely put people on seizure medicine unless there is a very strong suspicion or proof of seizures. If a patient has epilepsy, they do need medications. Some of the investigations may require referral to more specialized experts (see list above) or an academic center.