Then, there is the complex partial seizure, which is often referred to as a psychomotor or temporal lobe seizure. A convulsion of this type can produce a wide range of symptoms, which are different from most other forms of epilepsy. Lip smacking, chewing, “fear," and anger are all symptomatic of the psychomotor seizure. Other symptoms range from hallucinations, memory problems, and mood fluctuations. The individual may appear flush. Psychomotor seizures also produce a feeling of “warmth” within the individual’s body.
Psychomotor seizures can sometimes cause rational people to do irrational things. For example, one may remove his clothes in public, though he is normally rational. In individuals with mental illnesses, such as some forms of psychosis, the mental illness can coincide with psychomotor epilepsy. Because of this, the individual may experience disturbances in behavior. The epilepsy, in effect, works in conjunction with mental illness to bring out these symptoms. Anxiety may be experienced during a convulsion, if the individual suffers from an anxiety disorder. Depending upon the type of mental illness one suffers from, its symptoms may be seen during a convulsion, causing a variation in one’s normal “character.”
When the cause of a seizure disorder is unknown, it is often called an idiopathic seizure disorder. Brain disease is often the cause. According to webmd.com, epilepsy affects the lives of approximately two million people in the United States alone.
Though epilepsy can affect people of any age group, seizures more commonly start between the ages of 5 and 20.
The FDA recently approved a new drug called, “Keppra,” to treat people with the disorder. Keppra is much like other anti-epileptic drugs, as does not change metabolism but is not known to affect the liver, like some anti-convulsants. Of the 1300 people with epilepsy who used the drug, none of them were found to have liver-related problems as a result of taking Keppra. Side effects of the drug may include vertigo and drowsiness.
Myoclonic seizures are also symptomatic of many other medical conditions. According to Dr. Antonio Gil-Nagel, M.D., a neurologist at the University of Minnesota, myoclonic seizures can occur with other types of epilepsy. Myoclonic seizures are often experienced along with absence and generalized tonic-clonic seizures. Valproic acid is the “most effective” anti-convulsant for myoclonic seizures. Gil-Nagel also states that nitrazepam and clonazepam may be good remedies for myoclonic epilepsy, but one may build up a tolerance to these two drugs, especially if other neurological impairments are present.
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