# Help me understand epilepsy **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 13, 2017, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-epilepsy/791186 "2017-07-13T18:18:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Anny\_Middon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc79bd/32.png) [@Anny\_Middon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anny_Middon)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-epilepsy/791186/1 "2017-07-13T18:18:12Z")
My SIL was recently diagnosed with epilepsy. Well, pretty certain – they’re going to run another test or two, but the neurologist is confident it’s epilepsy. She is in her mid 50s and never had any symptoms before. If it matters, her seizure wasn’t one of those “falling down and shaking uncontrollably” types like you see in the movies. Rather, it was a relatively short period in which she felt somewhat disconnected from reality – she described it as feeling like she was in a video game. I had always had the notion that epilepsy was something you were born with that would show itself in your youth or at the latest early adulthood. Clearly this isn’t true. Can epilepsy strike a person at any time? Is there any way before symptoms emerge to know someone has epilepsy? What the heck causes the disease in the first place? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2017, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-epilepsy/791186/2 "2017-07-13T19:15:42Z")
A seizure is an episode of sensory disturbance, loss of consciousness, or convulsions, associated with abnormal electrical activity in the brain. And epilepsy is a neurological disorder marked by sudden recurrent seizures. There are many types of seizures, and many causes of each type of seizure. It’s a complicated phenomenon, with complicated treatments. And the disease of epilepsy is even more complicated. Causes include drugs and alcohol, drug and alcohol withdrawal, medications, head trauma, fevers, congenital anomalies, strokes, renal failure, and many more. And the largest cause of epilepsy is still “unknown” in that for generally 2/3 of patients with seizures, the reason is not really clear. A seizure can strike at any age. And epilepsy cannot be diagnosed until someone has had seizures, though people with certain diseases or injuries or who take certain drugs are more prone to having seizures than other people. I developed our medical system’s seizure care plan for our patients, and have taught physicians and nurse practitioners on how to care for patients with seizures and epilepsy. But it’s just too vast a subject to cover here. I suggest you go to someplace like [http://www.epilepsy.com/](http://www.epilepsy.com/) to learn some basics, and bring some more specific questions back here for clarification. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2017, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-epilepsy/791186/3 "2017-07-14T12:46:27Z")
> [@Anny\_Middon](#): > > …one of those “falling down and shaking uncontrollably” types like you see in the movies. Those may not be every epileptic’s experience, but they are a real thing. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2017, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-epilepsy/791186/4 "2017-07-14T14:36:07Z")
> [@Anny\_Middon](#): > > [snip] … If it matters, her seizure wasn’t one of those “falling down and shaking uncontrollably” types like you see in the movies … [snap] _Petit mal_ is the clinical name for this type of epilepsy … and from your description of the doctors statement I’d say this is diagnosed from SIL’s EEG … My mother had the same experience; mid-50’s and _petit mal_ episodes … she reacted very well to dilantin and I forget the dose she took … her doctor was very stiff lipped about the whole thing and would never actually say “epilepsy” as my mother needed her driver’s license to work as a weightmaster … so that may well be a change in lifestyle for your SIL until self-driving cars become available … Just from memory, dilantin is hell on the skeleton and calcium metabolism … if you SIL already has risk factors for osteoarthritis, these will be magnified … so bone health concerns would be in her future as well … I’m sorry to hear this, but there are effective treatment and the changes to her life are hopefully not so dramatic … my mother lived until her 80’s almost seizure free … ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2017, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-epilepsy/791186/5 "2017-07-14T19:47:52Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > _Petit mal_ is the clinical name for this type of epilepsy I disagree, to me it sounds much more like a simple partial seizure at least, and possibly a complex partial one. These used to be called _temporal lobe_ seizures. They are characterized by abnormal sensations including deja vu, hallucinations, dissociation and dysphoria. _Petit mal_, now known as _absence_ seizures are characterized by an impairment of consciousness, sometimes manifesting with tonic or atonic or clonic motions, or sometimes automatisms. Frequently the victim (seizee?) has no recollection of the actual event. Of course we’re making more than a few assumptions based on very little data, so it could be something different entirely. ---
**Author:** ![albino\_manatee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/albino_manatee/32/2_2.png) [@albino\_manatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/albino_manatee)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-epilepsy/791186/6 "2017-07-16T14:11:12Z")
i’d like to point out epilepsy/seizures can also be hereditary. as for predicting the onset … personally, i have never been able to prognosticate an attack before it consumes. though, i have read accounts whereas a few people actually smell/taste a _disturbance_ just before impact\*(seizure)\*. might be an overall _cognitive_ component: ```auto in the sense that many people *claim* time slows down before they are involved in accident or other horrifying/traumatic experiences. if an animal is watching the trauma unfold … does time slow down for them also? nah … just humanity's perception that is bombarded with overdose of stimulii … similar to excessive data bottle-necking a computer's **bus***. some even feel adamant they can foretell an accident just before it happens *(such as myself)* … but foretelling events is not possible. *(at least this is my thought … and i'm sticking to it.)* ``` \*\* bus - communication system that transfers data between components inside a computer, or between computers.\* re: > **[Genetic Causes of Epilepsy](https://www.epilepsy.com/causes/genetic)** > > Read an overview about genetic causes epilepsy, possible treatments, and more from the Epilepsy Foundation. ---
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-epilepsy/791186/7 "2017-07-16T14:22:37Z")
**Qadgop** is correct. Epilepsy is a very very complicated disorder, and every person’s experience is different. From the point of view of someone that has has loved ones with seizures, it does just become a general fact of life, and you deal with it accordingly. I like [this article](http://www.epilepsy.com/learn/age-groups/youth/talking-about-epilepsy/talking-friends-and-family), from the [epliepsy.com](http://epliepsy.com) website that was mentioned above. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-epilepsy/791186/8 "2017-07-16T14:31:45Z")
> [@janis\_and\_c0](#): > > **Qadgop** is correct … [sniff] I bow and gravel at **Qadgop’s** shoes … ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-epilepsy/791186/9 "2017-07-16T14:46:12Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > her doctor was very stiff lipped about the whole thing and would never actually say “epilepsy” as my mother needed her driver’s license to work as a weightmaster … In the US epileptics CAN have driver’s licenses, after a period of demonstrating their seizures are under control. I’m not sure what a “weightmaster” is, but it may be one of those professions were even epileptics with controlled seizures are not permitted. I’ve known several people with epilepsy who were allowed to drive cars and did so for years with no problem. Of course, that is dependent on how effective treatment is for an individual. Definitely an area where mileage varies and definitely consult a doctor in real life and the laws where you live. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-epilepsy/791186/10 "2017-07-16T14:59:57Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > In the US epileptics CAN have driver’s licenses, after a period of demonstrating their seizures are under control. I’m not sure what a “weightmaster” is, but it may be one of those professions were even epileptics with controlled seizures are not permitted. > > I’ve known several people with epilepsy who were allowed to drive cars and did so for years with no problem. Of course, that is dependent on how effective treatment is for an individual. Definitely an area where mileage varies and definitely consult a doctor in real life and the laws where you live. A weightmaster is someone who works at weight stations along the freeways and weights all the trucks that pass by, and is an LEO … my mother was occasionally tasked with hopping into squad car and chasing down over-weight truckers with lights a-flashing and sirens a-screaming … and like in the OP, her epilepsy came on in her mid 50’s, close to retirement age, perhaps that wasn’t enough time to establish her as seizure free … ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-epilepsy/791186/11 "2017-07-16T15:34:00Z")
My very poor understanding is that seizure-free period is 6 months to 2 years, varying by state in the US, but that information may very well be old at this point and inaccurate. In any case, it sounds like at the very least your mother might have to be on medical leave for that time period which, given such leaves are typically without pay, might impose grievous financial hardship or lead to loss of health insurance. Or might just flat out lead her to be fired. So yeah, I can see the doctor not using the word “epilepsy”. On the other hand, having someone have a seizure, even an “absent” type, behind the wheel, definitely puts other people at risk. I confess to conflicted feelings about the doctor allowing your mother to continue to drive without restriction, as that was putting both her and other people at risk at least until her condition stablized as seizure-free. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-epilepsy/791186/12 "2017-07-16T15:39:41Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > [snip] … On the other hand, having someone have a seizure, even an “absent” type, behind the wheel, definitely puts other people at risk. I confess to conflicted feelings about the doctor allowing your mother to continue to drive without restriction, as that was putting both her and other people at risk at least until her condition stablized as seizure-free. I agree 100% … thus my confrontation with her doctor … she claimed she never had any seizures while she was driving … however, considering the circumstances of some of her horrific accidents I have to wonder … it’s a wonder she never hit some innocent child … ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2017, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-epilepsy/791186/13 "2017-07-16T18:28:44Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > I bow and gravel at **Qadgop’s** shoes … Hey! Watch where you put that gravel! I’m wearing sandals . . .