Newbie! Autism and epilepsy...

[melspice]

Originally Posted by I Love LJC

Did your son during his fitting was he sick say with a Sorethroat infection,ear he could of had strep. Strep can cause fitting .Any fainting is not good hows his BP his blood is he hypoglycemic etc anemic have a comprehensive blood panel run and a basic metabolic panel too it checks alot of things.

Hi! No, my son was fine and healthy, each and every time. His blood is fine, and his BP. No sign of anaemia. He has absences at times, where he just blanks out, and does not respond to anything, though his eyes are still open. When he is fitting, he foams at the mouth, and is rigid in a foetal position, and groans. When he comes out of it (6-7 minutes) he can sleep for 1-2 hours. He also wets himself. We have been lucky recently(touch wood), and he has had not fits since b4 Christmas. So I decided not to give him the sodium valporate he was prescribed, as it has side effects,and he is being a bit of a handful at school anyway, cos they changed his teacher.

[UncleReemus]

My son just turned 14 and has had 7 Grand Mals since Sept 04. His Neurologist also says Adolesence and Autism is reason. I am not so sure about it. He does not eat solid food at all except in last year started chewing Cheetos Cheesies. I am thinking he is reacting to the Dye in this stuff. His seizures are very nasty lasting average 8 minutes. We now have Lorazapam (Adavan) and it reduces the seizure dramatically. I am scared of the side effects of Valporic Acid and the other syrups that we might be able to give him and on the other hand am so scared of him hurting himself falling or choking on fluids. I sleep 1.5 hours a day since March so I can stay up listening to him sleep with a baby monitor I put into his room. I also have an internet camera I access from work when he is home with my wife so I can see him in his room. How can you work some of this out with limited communication. He speaks not well but just enough to ask what he wants. We wouldnt know if he was feeling effects from anti-convulsants other than severe obvious ones and then it might be too late to reverse liver damage etc. Is anyone using something like this and does it truely work? Is it worth the risk against forcing my boy into a crash helmet. Dealing with Autism has been a kick in the shorts enough but this seems far more complicated for me to make a clear decision.

Losing my mind...

[kyethra]

I have never heard of autism causing epilepsy, or vice versa. Ever. My brother has both. He also has cerebral paulsy. They might be linked in terms of neurological disorders, and one may indicate some sort of neurological vulnerability which is the only way for me to think of to explain that.

My brother's seizures were under control with dilantin until he was 12 and puberty hit.

Once that happened he had one siezure for the first time in a decade and went to the ER and had an EEG and it was indeed a siezure. Has your son had an EEG?

After this things started downhill. He began to have more and more siezures and it got to where in his grandmals he would stop breathing, and as a couple of the seizures lasted several minutes, this was quite serious.

He was on the ketogenic diet since he was 15 and is now and always will be on the atkins as a form of seizure control.

As far as medication goes, I would be very carefull when choosing one.

As a teenager my brother was included to have rages... something I have also seen in other people with autism. THe siezure meds can dramatically influence that plus they can also supress things like the ability for spontaneous talk.

When my brother starts talking a lot it is great, because he is showing interest in the outside world. But it is also a warning sign that he might have a seizure comming because the meds are no longer as effective.

Go to the best neurologist that you can find. If you are in chicago, I have a couple of names.

Good luck

[Eilidh1]

Hi

I don't have much to do with autism, but I've had epilepsy (and have tried most of the drugs). I think by reading some posts here that certain side effects (such as mood swings) would be amplified/more serious/more difficult to deal with in people with autism. Sodium Valproate (or epilem/valproate/depakote) is quite bad for depression and making you feel hungry all the time (it affects the lining of your stomach) - it affected me in these ways and also disrupted my sleep pattern. It was a Demon Drug for me but it's also other people's Wonder Drug. I'm not a doctor, but I know that Keppra (levetiracetam) generally tends to have fewer side effects than Epilem. I have no side-effects with this drug but also very little seizure control. But again, what works for someone doesn't always work for everyone. Be careful with the medications you choose for your son. Find out as much as you can, and be careful to monitor any changes in your son if you decide to put him on medication. Most anti-seizure drugs have a negative effect on concentration/memory. But seizures and the fear of seizures aren't easy to live with either.

My best wishes to you and your son.
Eilidh
x

[UncleReemus]

The doctor has perscribed Valporic Acid (syrup) as he doesnt eat solid food and only drinks a meal supplement similar to Ensure or Boost. He has had an EEG on the first seizure, which he couldnt walk for 3 weeks after it was so hard on his body. He stops breathing regularly during the seizures which is why we also give him the Adavan to shorten it. I think I am more scared of the control medication than I am the seizures. At the same time the support away from home is not trustworthy. I am trying to get an intervenor who can be at his side while at school and on trips. 3 of his seizures they "found" him on the floor, didnt even know he dropped. Once hit his head off a table on the way down and left a baseball sized goose-egg filled with blood. Lucky after head x-ray no damage other than massive bruise. I guess the other side pushing me to control of seizure as well is my own sanity. Sleeping 1.5 hours a day for last4 months is wearing me thin. I work 12 hours a day 6 days a week and I am feeling worn out. I am not in USA but thanks for word. I dont know what else to say other than I appreciate your input folks. I needed somewhere to ask about these drugs to see if my feelings are somewhat founded or if I am being too paranoid. He seems to be addicted to these Cheetos and I notice his energy level and attitude increase to the negative. I dont know what I can sub in their place that he will accept. Not all the labels show you all the dyes either. I think he is reacting to something not just just having seizures because of adolesence though his Neurologist says this is VERY common....Be safe and thanks again. Eilidh, the stuff you mentioned is partly what I am concerned about. Last thing an Autistic needs is depression and feeling confused and since our communication is limited it would be difficult to know everyting going on in his mind. Everyday I am thinking we will deal with seizure protocol and reaction rather than control and creation of new medical and mental issues. Thank you for sharing