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Anxiety With Epilepsy

A MyEpilepsyTeam Member asked a question 💭
Hanover, PA

can you get panic attacks with epilepsy? is anxiety part of epilepsy? i have anxiety everyday mild panic attacks if and the fact that it feels like my heart is literally going to beat out of my chest is scary on its own its all weird and i get these tics but they are actually more like jerks and sometimes i can be sitting down and my body just jumps like i was scared or something my daughters doctor asked me if i was ok because i was sitting still then i just jerk or whatever you call it

February 25, 2023
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A MyEpilepsyTeam Member

I also have pretty bad anxiety but i dont think epilepsy is the cause of it. I do know that epilepsy meds, anxiety, and depression go hand and hand

February 25, 2023
A MyEpilepsyTeam Member

@A MyEpilepsyTeam Member , I found this article by going to Google & typing in “anxiety & panic attacks in epilepsy” & this article from the www.epilepsy.com website came up, here’s the whole article: Found in the News and Stories:
Anxiety in Epilepsy
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is a core emotion that many people experience at certain points in life. Anxiety can become a disorder, however, if it gets out of hand, causing a constant feeling of nervousness, distress, and unease for no apparent reason.
How is anxiety related to epilepsy?
Anxiety can be quite significant in the life of a patient with epilepsy. In any medical illness, patients may become anxious after the diagnosis of their condition. But anxiety is also related to epilepsy in more specific ways. It can occur not only as a reaction to the diagnosis, but also as a symptom of the epilepsy, and, in some cases, as a side effect of antiepileptic medications.
Anxiety as a reaction to the diagnosis of epilepsy Patients often develop anxiety after being diagnosed with epilepsy, or after experiencing a seizure for the first time. In fact, one common cause of anxiety in epilepsy is the fear of having a seizure. The knowledge that a seizure can occur at any time and place without very much warning is a major point of anxiety for many patients. Some patients also become anxious about social rejection due to their condition, particularly during adolescence. Social support is therefore an important element in the life of a person with epilepsy.

Anxiety as a symptom of epilepsy
Anxiety is not a purely psychological or psychosocial phenomenon; it also can occur as a direct result of neurobiological factors like abnormal brain function and seizures. In fact, some factors that are responsible for seizures may also be responsible for anxiety, which can manifest itself in various ways in epilepsy. For instance, many patients report feelings and symptoms of anxiety as part of their "aura," the distinctive sensation that some people with epilepsy experience just before having a seizure. Some components of anxiety, such as obsessiveness and agitation, may be seen in patients with epilepsy-related psychosis. Similar anxiety can be seen in brain-damaged patients. Therefore, although the exact relationship between brain abnormalities and anxiety is extremely complex and not very well understood, it is clear that there is a relationship. Both psychological and biological components of anxiety are particularly apparent in patients with seizures. Continued Below: Your friend in Texas, Becky

February 25, 2023
A MyEpilepsyTeam Member

Yeah that’s definitely epilepsy anxiety is common the main co morbid Psychiatric issue along with depression, 50/50 chance but also in seizures themselves = auras.
mine at least I have panic and Dejavu goin in to them, and it’s blurry what’s what sometimes, Panic or seizure.
But I’ve been told I have repetitive tic like behaviour in complex partials, has anyone witnessed these events you’re having. Quite possibly simple partials.

February 26, 2023
A MyEpilepsyTeam Member

In some cases, anti-anxiety medications are used. The danger is that the patient may become dependent on the medication. This is more likely to happen to patients with epilepsy than to others because some drugs that are used to lessen anxiety also suppress seizures, and vice versa. Thus the patient can become even more dependent on the medication and have considerable difficulty in discontinuing it. For patients with both epilepsy and anxiety, the neurologist nevertheless may recommend seizure medicines that also have anti-anxiety effects.“. That’s the end of the article. I know meds could possibly cause panic attacks or anxiety. In 2019 I had I guess a panic attack when I was working at my last job at a fast food burger place & I started getting dizzy & began hollering & stomping my feet & shaking my head & arms. Then in 2021 I had a really bad anxiety attack when at a restaurant & I began crying & hollering at the top of my lungs for 25 minutes straight. I could understand what others were saying but I couldn’t respond until that 25 minutes was up & finally I was able to have my Mom call my Neurologist but since it was 5pm they didn’t answer & so I texted the Social Services director with our Epilepsy Foundation & she called & I had to let my Mom talk to her cause another attack was coming on but she suggested we go to the hospital & they believed it was a really bad anxiety attack & when I later talked to my Neurologist she agreed. I don’t usually have those & so we didn’t know what was going on. As for the twitching, I take some restful leg pills before bed. I get into bed & my body twitches a little but probably not like yours. Hope things get better. I have daily verbal tics where I say or holler words, names, phrases or humming or moaning noises uncontrollably & I don’t know what made those start. They’ve tried a handful of anxiety meds for my verbal tics but they make my stomach to bloated. Your friend in Texas, Becky

February 25, 2023
A MyEpilepsyTeam Member

I have been told that every seizure destroys brain cells that never repair. I have brain damage from all the years of trying meds that never controlled my seizures. Dilantin was the worst and screwed me up too much. I was also forced to take phenobarbital and try to get through the day. Too much!!! I am now on Briviact that also calms the brain and Valium when I feel a seizure day coming on....

March 2

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