Two days ago had a Seizure and fell and hit my head on the wall. I’m wondering if anyone has experienced this after recovering from brain Aneurysm, craniotomy,clipping surgery?
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I’ve not had any seizures, but I’ve taken a few falls since my coilings were done. Guess the best one was when I was on a ladder, using it wrong, overreached, ladder slipped, broke the lid on the toilet. Thought it was with my head…but it was the ladder! My head hit one of the wooden rungs. Busted the old wooden ladder too 
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Wow!With the horses so many things can happen. But the joy out weighs the risk. Sounds like was bad fall for you. I am hard headed!Ha!Ha!
Thanks!
Thanks! Jammie,I have history of seizures but I don’t normally get knocked out from them. But have had no problems since last one. So nice of you to reach out.No riding my horse for a week.
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Please feel better. I have not had seizures. I have, however, gotten light headed and lost my balance. Worried about you seizures though. Keep us posted. Take great care.
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So sorry! I have had 5 grand mal seizures over the years after a craniotomy. I had a grand mal seizure in the middle of the night in 2011 and stood up still disoriented and confused. I took one step and fell and hit the wall so hard that the plaster had to be repaired. I was hospitalized for a concussion for 3 days. I’ve taken Lamictal for seizures for about 8 years, which prevented the grand mal kind, but this grand mal seizure happened when the insurance company demanded I switch to the generic or pay a $240 copay. The single hospitalization cost as much as a few years on the original drug. My neurologist wrote a letter it the insurance company pointing that out. They now let me take the original US-made drug for a $120 copay. I could take the foreign-made generic for $30 copay, but it’s worth it for me. the Lamictal doesn’t prevent the absence seizures or the petit mal ones, but as long as the grand mals don’t happen, I will keep doing it. They tried Keppra at one point and I became psychotic, hallucinating, and just not me. Lamictal for me. Please report the episode to the docs, get an EEG and talk to them about how to prevent them.
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Hi @Kate3! It’s not uncommon for anti-seizure meds to not work as well when switched to generic. You may want to see if you can get a discount card through the manufacture at .
I know that I get a coupon card for name brand depakote. My daughter’s seizures were not fully controlled on the generic.
Sharon
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Thank you! for reaching out so nice of you. I have seizures,but not usually this bad. But I’m feeling better just too bruised knees.My head is feeling better too. 
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Your so right I will make a appointment with my neurologist. Thank you for sharing your story because it helps me to realize not the only one that has seizures. It’s just been a while since I’ve had one this bad. Hope you’re doing well really means a lot to me. 
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I had coil on ruptured aneuysm and SAH. U had pseudo seizures in hospital. My heart stopped 6 times before they got me to surgery. One of the seizures was during one of my CT scan. I only know this because my SO told me and reading my patient portal. I lost a month. I have no memory of anything from the time I ruptured until about a month after. All my doctors tell me it is a good thing that I don’t remember.
I don’t know when they happen but I lose time. People can be talking to me and I apparently talk back to them but I don’t have any memory of either side of the conversation. I don’t tell people about the rupture except doctors. They pretty much act like they have no idea what I had. Most friends can tell from my imbalance if I have to get up and walk and from the way I talk but nobody says anything or ask. They probably think I am just a functioning alcoholic. They wouldn’t and don’t understand so I just prefer to not talk about it.
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I have these “absence seizures” and mine are exactly as you describe. It will be 2:00 and I turn around and it is 2:15, with no memory that time has elapsed. My husband is used to them, but he gets frustrated when he just told me something and I don’t respond and he has to repeat it when my brain comes back. I’ve been told that I don’t look weird when they are happening with an unusual facial expression and, unlike you, I don’t talk when I am in one. But I hear the frustration with others when they say “I just told you” or that I have no idea what the conversation has been and I have obviously missed some context. They probably think I have dementia. I have terrible balance too. Sleeping well leads to fewer of them. How often do yours occur? Mine used to be once a month, but I have had 2 in the last two weeks. It’s very weird. Like an awake nap. I had a clipped posterior communicating artery aneurysm. I don’t like to tell strangers or people I don’t know well, so most people in my life now don’t know I have had an aneurysm or seizures, except my family and my docs.
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I just had the rupture in February and I experience the seizures multiple times a week and sometimes several times a day. One in June resulted in a broken wrist and surgery to put it back together. While I was in the hospital for the rupture they discovered that I have severe sleep apnea and they put me on a Bipap. I sleep a lot. I average over 10 hours of sleep a day. My sleep doctor thinks the rupture changed the way my metabolism breaks down my anti anxiety pills and my sleeping pills. His bright idea is to stop taking them. I will get right on that.
The talking to people during those spells has it ups and downs. I have no clue or recollection of what anybody said.
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Kate, I’m going to second Sharon the moderator on contacting the manufacture for reducing costs to the medication that works. Sometimes you call, they send a form, you send it back and sometimes you fill out a form on line. Your insurance company or the government may also allow you to order the medications from Canada. Back in the day a lot of my work colleagues were getting their monthly meds from Canada but I can’t remember why they stopped allowing it. Also ask the pharmacy, sometimes they will reduce their price. The worse anyone can say is no, and you’re already there…
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Believe me, I have tried to make this affordable. The problem is that the drug is available in a generic form, but the generic just doesn’t work for me. I had been on the brand since 2001, but in 2011, I had to go on the generic. I started having more absence seizures and petit mal seizures. My neurologist tried doubling the dose, but then I had the grand mal on that dose. She wrote a “dispense as written” brand prescription so the pharmacist couldn’t switch to a generic. Then the insurance company got upset and wanted a $240 copay.
It’s a long story. I contacted Glaxo, the US manufacturer, when the insurance company raised the copay for the brand and Glaxo said there aren’t any coupons for a drug that has a generic form. I asked if the company made a generic as well as the brand and they said yes. I asked if they could tell me what pharmacy in my area carried the US generic. They said no, they weren’t allowed, for some reason. (I think presumably because they would lose a high-paying brand customer).
My neurologist helped with the insurance company to reduce the copay for the brand somewhat. I have hesitated to buy the drug in Canada since I think I might get another generic from India or somewhere. I am seeing her next week, and I am going to go over it again. Maybe there’s a new similar drug I can try. It’s a risk, but the $120 copays are quite costly and I am not sure how long the insurance company will agree to the reduced copay. I’d have even thought of taking a “drug holiday” because it’s been 8 years without a grand mal, even though I still have the “little” seizures. Good to know others have had to travel this path. Thanks for caring!
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Please don’t take a holiday from your meds. If you’re still having partial seizures, you’re still having seizures, and coming off the meds will mean that they will be able to generalize.
My daughter could not get seizure free with the generic depakote. Actually, we couldn’t even get her into the therapeutic range on the generic.
There’s something a bit screwy about this. I wonder if it’s bc of your medical insurance? I know that some co-pay programs are not available if you’re on medicare/medicaid/tricare. But it’s well known that generics can be an issue with anti-seizure meds. I would encourage you to keep pushing.
Another idea, can you be prescribed larger size pills that can be split?
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My husband’s still working, so I have private insurance. It changed from one company to another and that’s why the situation got out of control. My neurologist writes a letter every year about why I can’t take the generic. It is routinely denied and she has to go up the ladder for a review from a neurologist consultant to the insurance company. So far, it’s been approved. She uses brand Lamictal but now extended release tablets to try to get better control of the petit mal seizures. That’s even more expensive. So now I’m in a specialty pharmacy list, apparently meaning I take a very expensive drug and they should hassle me until I get off it. The extended release pills can’t be split, but I thought of another thing she might be willing to do, which is put me on a higher dose per day by prescription, but I actually take fewer and stockpile what I save. Probably violates some ethics rule. I think switching to another brand name that doesn’t have a generic might be the best solution at least for the short term. Hope your duaghter is doing well! . [quote=“ModSupport, post:16, topic:12166”]
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Dear Mary,
Can’t imagine how much it means to me to share what your going through. It can be a very lonely feeling when people don’t really know what your going on with you. But you have helped me so much. I know were not the only ones . My speech is not good. And I was a person who so enjoyed talking and getting to know others. But let’s not give up I know some just not going to get what we have had to face. I know others that do understand the struggle. You really so kind and hope it starts to even in small way get better for you. Your friend always,Teresa🙂
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Kate,wow!that is a lot for you to have gone through. But thank you, for information. And I know your right need to call neurologist. It’s so nice of you to do help and share. Sometimes just want to forget it happened but know I need to call the doctor. Hope all goes well with you. Thank you so much !
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Kate, I realize this is an old article, I was trying to Google what branded drugs they made in generic form. https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/16/business/16generic.html
It may not help, but I found it interesting. But maybe your pharmacist can tell you country it’s made in.