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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Epilepsy / March 2008

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Clonazepam K.O.s Seizure-like episode

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Sleepless in Seattle - 29 Feb 2008 04:22 GMT
I had another of those disturbing but sometimes bizarrely entertaining
seizure-like episodes today.  They are nearly always triggered by
drinking coffee or strong tea, usually in combination with an
antihistamine.

Last night I had left some green teabags in a pot of water in which I
had boiled some ginger yesterday.  I had been drinking green tea with
ginger while fighting off a bout of the flu.

Well, this morning I didn't have my wits about me and when I got up I
strained the remainder of the green tea and ginger mixture, which had
been steeping all night long,  into a tall glass and drank it for
breakfast on an empty stomach.

Later in the day as I was trying to take a nap I started having those
tell tale overpowering deja vu feelings accompanied by a feeling of
existential dread and and confusing feelings of profoundly emotional
memories and dreamlike sensations.

I remembered that that last time this happened I took some clonazepam
as an experiment and it had stopped the episode in it's tracks,
instead of it going on for hours and hours as these episodes used to
do.

So today I cut a 1 mg tab of clonazepam in half and downed it with
half a glass of water.  Within half an hour or so the "seizure" had
subsided and I was able to make a shopping trip on my bicycle

It's a shame clonazepam is exempted from Medicare Part D coverage.
For me it's a life saver.

Maybe I can get it through a prescription assistance program.
--
Will in Seattle
a.k.a. "Sleepless"
G. - 29 Feb 2008 14:21 GMT
On Feb 28, 11:22 pm, Sleepless in Seattle
<spamless.in.seattle.re...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I had another of those disturbing but sometimes bizarrely entertaining
> seizure-like episodes today.  They are nearly always triggered by
[quoted text clipped - 31 lines]
> Will in Seattle
> a.k.a. "Sleepless"

  You didn't say whether that's the only medication you use for
seizures?  You could try a search on http://efa.org and see what it's
'normally' used for.   The name sounds similar to Clobazam, which is
Lorazepam, a relaxant, though that closeness of prescription name
might be anecdotal (on my part).
  (Some of us have had success with insurers by getting the Dr. to
write a prescription with 'no substitutions' and the insurer will
cover the part they would normally -- I did that recently when they
wanted me to switch to a generic Tegretol (carbamazepine).  Since I've
had full control since 1998, I didn't want to mess with that.)

When I used to use above (*clobazam), tablets I had were sublingual--
I put one under tongue to dissolve to bloodstream, and would end onset
of Complex Partial-type szrs. as I got closer to full control.
  Reason I mentioned efa site or asking your **pharmacist, is some
foods can interfere with a regular anti-ep drug if you are using
others (Grapefruit for example will mess up Tegretol functioning), and
the causes you are seeking might not be what brought on your Simple
Partial (aura/feeling) condition you described?  If you're using other
Anti Ep Drugs, the antihistamine might interfere? and the pharmacist
could look that up for you. Even the green tea could have a product
that could interfere, but I'm not a pharmacist (or Doctor ! :-< )
G./
Sleepless in Seattle - 01 Mar 2008 05:45 GMT
>    You didn't say whether that's the only medication you use for
> seizures?  You could try a search onhttp://efa.organd see what it's
> 'normally' used for.

It's apparently an anti-convulsant:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clonazepam

I've been having these disturbing seizure-like episodes for about
seven years, but have not been able to find a doctor who could tell me
what they were or how to treat them.  The seem to be something like
what used to be called temporal lobe epileptic seizures and which now
I think they may call them partial complex seizures, or something like
that.

The clonazepam was prescribed for chronic fatigue syndrome and
restless leg syndrome.   So that's why  I happened to have some on
hand the other night when I had one of those seizure-like episodes.
I decided to try it to see if it would attenuate the seizure-like
symptoms I was experiencing.  It worked!

I got the idea of trying the clonazepam from an interview with chronic
fatigue syndrome specialist Paul Cheney, M.D.

http://www.immunesupport.com/library/showarticle.cfm?ID=3154
G. - 02 Mar 2008 04:55 GMT
On Mar 1, 12:45 am, Sleepless in Seattle
<spamless.in.seattle.re...@gmail.com> wrote:

> >    You didn't say whether that's the only medication you use for
> > seizures?  You could try a search onhttp://efa.organdsee what it's
[quoted text clipped - 21 lines]
>
> http://www.immunesupport.com/library/showarticle.cfm?ID=3154

 Any searches you want to do look under Complex Partial Seizures.
Temporal Lobe szrs. are the olde (1930s) term, that is now included in
above.  A Partial szr. is usually equivalent to an Aura or dizzy
temporary sensation, while a C.P. can start that way, last longer, and
in uncontrolled cases (like I had) end in loss of consciousness.
   In extreme cases we're not aware what we say or do during the szr.
and have to depend on others to tell us what happened after we
'leave'. If you're given an medications to be taken on a regular
frequency, check with the pharmacist or assume it's to be taken
consistently at the rate they lay out.  Several of them, like my
Tegretol, can produce 'recoil seizures'  if the medication is promptly
stopped without medical supervision and rates determined for your case
and by a Dr.
   I don't know how Chronic Fatigue Symptom relates to Temporal Lobe
(C.P.) seizures, as you're the first person since 1998 who has had
both ? here.  We've had about 12-14 people with TLE through here in
that time.   G./
Richard Stickman - 05 Mar 2008 05:58 GMT
> I had another of those disturbing but sometimes bizarrely entertaining
> seizure-like episodes today.  They are nearly always triggered by
[quoted text clipped - 31 lines]
> Will in Seattle
> a.k.a. "Sleepless"
______________________________________________________________________________

I suggest talking to a pharmacist/doctor to enquire whether there are
any "generic" -ie NOT Rivotril - brands of clonazepam on the market you
could take?
The Roche drug:Rivotril is NOT the only one around, just the most widely
known?
Rich.

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