Seizures While Sleeping

My daughter is 14 and was having seizures in her sleep.  It started 4/2012.  I traced it back, it was because she had ingested a large amount of MSG, she would fall asleep and have a grand mal seizure.  The MSG was in chinese food and once she ate a whole can of pringles in about an hour.  She has been on Keppra.  She has no seizures while on the med and she also stays away from MSG.  Her last seizure was 9/14/2012.  I have been so thankful for the meds and finding the cause for the seizures.  Look at the diet.  

I have episodes while sleeping. I can hear everything going on around me but can't wake up & my head shakes uncontrollably. I have no control over my moter skills. This lasts for 2-5 minutes. This us starting to scare my wife. My doctor says this is normal & not to worry. But I can't help but worry as this is quite scary. Any thoughts on what this might be?

I just recently started getting nocturnal seizures. I have had at least 2or 3 of them in the past 2 weeks. With one of them I remember lying on bed trying to call my boyfriend to wake him, but no sound coming out of my mouth and I am shaking uncontrollably for at least 3-5 minutes, no more than 5 minutes. I just had another one last night and I was alone, with the same shaking, all over. When it happens , my dog comes and lays with me. She knows something is wrong. Some how I have to teach her to wake my boyfriend when this happens. I originally thought I was just having bad dreams or something. It is not normal to be shaking like this in your sleep and getting them so frequently. 

Hi Margie, I have a 17 yr old daughter who has in the last year, been in and out of the er a couple of times due to intestinal cramping, having a couple of different diagnosis,none really seemed to fit though.. but a couple of months ago had her 1st seizure that I know of in the early morning hours and had another this morning, severe enough that there is a bite mark on the side of her tongue. I saw the 1st one with convulsions, eyes open and unresponsive lasting for a couple of mins... but did not see the 1 this morning. FD. was called and paramedics came and checked her out// I had a appt for her to have a eeg done a couple of wks ago but had to cancel it because I got very sick with the flu/ she also had a head injury about 2 yrs ago.. I am going to reschedule the eeg. I have done some reading though and am apprehensive of the meds that they might put her on////// when she was younger she was diagnosed with adhd and was on meds for about 5 yrs until she started having almost like psychotic episodes and I took her off the meds. She did have night terrors as a child so I do not know if this is something that could have been there all along or has developed from the head injury///any help/advice would be appreciated. Annie

I am fortunate in the fact that I know the cause of mine.  I had severe brain injury when I was 18 (am 42 now) and for a long time I didn't know what they were. In fact, I really didn't even realize they were happening. It was my mother or my husband (whoever was with me at time) who noticed them.  Alls I really remember is this feeling that I was dying and I couldn't wake up.I was told by my mother that I would get up and run to her room (years ago) and have this horrified look on my face but then I'd be real confused. She said I would just turnaround and go back to sleep;  not saying a word.  I had an EEG done and it did show evidence of seizures and I had an MRI and my neuro said a piece of grey matter was in the left side of my brain, in an area where it should't be.  I started Keppra several months ago andit's really helped! It still happens once in a while but nothing like it did. I hope all of you are able to get to the answers you need.  If there was everanytime of head injury in your history check into it!

I know this is five years after the fact, but just in case anybody else is researching this: Iron deficiency (in this situation, a female who has begun menstruating) can sometimes exhibit with twitching like this. Try taking iron supplements and see if it makes a difference within 3 months. Of course, check with your doctor.

hello everyone, 

 

I too have seizures. My girlfriend has noticed it several times and was somewhat alarmed. 

However i have a theory why, and also why it keeps happening at night whilst asleep and why doctors cant diagnose it. 

im pretty sure the seizures are NOT due to an underlying health problem, but rather they are my subconscious minds attempt to wake me up during some horrifying dream, i reckon my subconcious is triggering seizures since this will force me awake and in a semi-concious state i do have vague recollections of very frightening dreams immediately before the seizures. 

This would certainly explain why doctors can't diagnose anything, because there isnt anything to diagnose. It would also explain why it happens during stress, since i also get more seizures when im stressed. Presumably you have more terrifying dreams when your stressed out.. 

Does anyone else feel like this is correct? im reasonably sure my seizures are simply my subconcious mind forcing my body to shake so that i wake up and stop having these dreams! sounds crazy but fits the facts...

 

 

my daughter had one back in december and they could not explain how it came on they did tests on her and could not find a reason she was not sick they say that sometimes its come from out the blue that her chances next time were 99% as if were to happen again the chance gets more and more likely but i do understand as a mom it scares you beyond a very pressured point

I just had the longest one ever....I think they're getting worse! It feels as if my brain is flipping around inside of my head. What can I do to stop this from happening. I haven't slept but around 5 hours in 3 days. Every time I am falling asleep, I have this happen to me now. It used to just happen once in a while.

I've been taking 400 mg Dilantin since I was 19. I am now 53. If I stay awake for 3-5 days with no Dilantin I have no seizure. As soon as I go to sleep, look out. Pics. Of the back of my brain show electrical or unexplained brain activity. The rest of my brain rests while I sleep. Dilantin slows the damaged area down with the rest. The army called it an alcohol seizure disorder which I questioned. I had forgotten to tell them about a few hard blows I had had in the past. Just guesswork I suppose. I'd like to know for sure though. Thank God for Dilantin.

Hello, im so sorry to hear about your child. I was 19 when I had my first grand mal in my sleep. I did all the tests over and over and over. Always saying there was nothing wrong. I was literally told by doctors that I was lieing. Even though many people had witnessed them. I finally found a neurologist that when the extra way and put me in the hospital. they took me off my meds very fast and monitored me. and thank god it happened. I was finally diagnosed. I am now 35 and this and its been9 months after 16 long years. im not sure where u are but I know Henry Ford has a great Epilepsy clinic. It changed my life.

Hello guys, i'm 20 yrs old male and i'm really really happy to found people who is suffering seizures during sleep like i used to , i hope they don't come back 

 

well here is my story , i started having them at the age of 12 and my father saw them , they started at summer and they only occur during sleep before 2-3 hrs of waking up , i saw a neuro and he put me on depakene ( valproic Acid ) 750MG and they stopped and after 3 yrs i visited him and he said let's wean the med slowly , after i weaned completly i remember i had another one at the age of 15 during sleep , so i started taking 500mg of it again , and at the age of 17 after heavy heavy stress i had one even if i was taking 500mg of depakene chrono 

 

so my opinion is ... most of these sleep seizures occur due to heavy stress , i believe stress is the main causer for these seizures , for me .. lack of sleep doesn't bring them to me as i notice 

i'm now taking only 250mg of depakene non chrono and i'm on it for 1 yr and 5 months with no seizures 

but the good thing is they occur during sleep only ( thanks god ) so you can drive or anything you want

 

do you drive btw ? 

 

so the point is .... try to manage stress , i believe doing some sports like running or walking can really manage stress and give you comfort ,  and take your meds properly and realy really don't miss with medication , 

 

 

Well I have had only one seizure. The drs have done EEG,CT SCAN, EKG, MRI and nothing shows up. I woke up so sore yesterday after not feeling well I went back to bed and slept most of the day and night off and on. But I am so sore today like after I had my first seizure. I am so scared I will have one and no one will be here to help me. My husband worries all the time. He works I can't because this all started with dizziness.. Just at a loss of what to do. I am 41 yrs old and never been sick much in my life.. It is very frustrating. Family says I need to go on disability. But with no dr saying there is anything wrong with me can I even get on disability? I really would love to just go back to normal and not be labeled as disabled... I am not ready for this to be my life...

I only have seizures at night and in very spread out times of my life i am 21 and the first one i had i was 16 i have only had 8 to not in my life and they where grand ma's and the first wo times i had two in the same night but only when i am asleep. my mom says that sometime my breathing is shallow. the worst part is i know when it is going to happen and i am awaere of what is happening with my body my arm or my legs would go numb for a whole two years after the thired time. I couldent feel anything or move anything their was no pain or tingle it was like nothing was there at all i would half to tell my self out loud to walk or wave just to get the feeling back. now as i get older i seemed to forget everything and feel like parts of my brain are just shutting down one at a time. it's scary but i have almost died once. after my first seizure i could see my self on the floor dying. now if i have a seizure i will scream and i will try run around  and the strangest thing is i know i can't see because i know my eyes are in the back of my head but i can still hear and it is like my brain gives me images of what i am supposed to see. i am very concerned.

I ve had 2 seizures at night since the sudden death of my son. The only thing I remember (out of bed) trying to get on my feet and not able to. I fall and crawl and fall again over and over. My knee burns and elbow burns are karge and obvious. I must of hit my head in the kitchen because waste can crushed and hole in plaster. Trying to yell for help but I cannot get past 1 foot and 1 knee on the ground. I wake up in bed bloody. I was told I had seizures as an infant.