Sleep Apnea and Seizures

[bootz]

Anyone here deal with sleep apnea and seizures? I'm still dealing with both, although the seizures are much more manageable than the sleep apnea. I had a few very rough nights on CPAP and had a partial seizure last night at the gym, thankfully nobody noticed lol! Just before it happened, I remembered how tired I was and was really building up. It took about 30 minutes to fully recover, but I stubbornly continued on with the workout, fighting post-seizure symptoms such as a bad headache and poor motor skills.

It is just really frustrating, and after doing research I'm wondering if my sleep apnea is underdiagnosed and the cause for my seizures / seizure symptoms. This story about severe sleep apnea, seizures, and hypoxia has me thinking... http://www.talkaboutsleep.com/third_tie ... ea_sam.htm

No doctor has ever been able to diagnose a cause for my seizure symptoms. I was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea after being tested due to my cardiologist discovering I had pulmonary hypertension. However a heart cath showed I did not have pulmonary hypertension, surprise surprise. However I'm still tired and dealing with my CPAP, still dealing with seizure symptoms, and of course have lots of medication to go along with it!

Thanks for letting me vent!

[roster]

I have a buddy who has seizures and just told me last night that he is getting up six times per night to urinate. The doc put him on FloMax for several months but it did not help and he eventually stopped using it. I am trying to get him to have a consultation with a sleep doc.

Thanks for posting the link and best of luck.

[saskman]

WOW I am in the same boat, I have been having seizures since Oct last year and now have been diagnoised as severe sleep apnea, I have been on my Cpap for 2 night so far and hope and pray that this is the answer to my health problems. lets keep each other updated on the progress of becoming seizure free, and feel free to PM me!!!

[Eleena]

Since starting cpap 3 years ago, I have only had one seizure. Prior to cpap, I had 3-6 a year. The only thing I was ever told was that my brain waves were abnormal. About 6 months ago, saw my neurologist and the same tests were done. Everything was normal. I like to think that my cpap is the reason for this. Been a year and a half since the last seizure. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Missy

[brazospearl]

Bootz, sorry to hear you're having this difficulties. As a teacher of students with handicaps, I've had a number of students who seize, and I know that condition can be hard to manage. Might not be any way to tell if your apnea causes the seizures, but it seems absurd to think that effective cpap therapy would make them worse, so it makes sense to get your cpap therapy under control. Anything we can do to help with that?

[Janknitz]

although the seizures are much more manageable than the sleep apnea.

I don't agree with that statement at all. It is true that with seizures you can take a pill and if you are at a therapuetic dose it may stop the seizures, but medications have all sorts of negative side effects and it's sometimes difficult to titrate the right dose.

CPAP is difficult at first, until you get the mask just right and get used to sleeping with it. But when you get through that initial adjustment period, CPAP is easy and almost 100% effective. AND, one of the "side effects" of effective CPAP therapy may even be to stop or reduce the frequency of your seizures.

[bootz]

Thanks for all the support folks. Regarding seizures versus sleep apnea, I just meant in my particular case I have the seizures under control. It is the CPAP therapy that is driving me crazy. It may turn out that I do have mild sleep apnea and it is being managed and my tiredness is related to my heart valve condition.