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Dr. Andrew Rynne

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Taking Dilantin For Epilepsy. EEG Showing Abnormal Activity In The Brain. Tingling In The Head, Chest Tightness, Numbness On Fingers

I was diagnosed with epilepsy 5 months ago. I stay alert , and my legs and jaw and arms thrash. My chest and throat tightens , and my heartbeat is rapid. EEG showed abnormal activity on the left temporal brain. MRI was clear. I've had great results on dilantin-300mg. However, from keeping a journal, it's obvious my seizure activity is hormone related. I have mild activity every month that would be the week before my menstrual period. I have Mirena . But, 11 days ago , I had a seizure with th symptoms mentioned above, but not as long. The next day I spotted. Last night, I had a very strange feeling of tingling in my head, arms, and chest, throat tightness. Took 1/2 xanax , it went away, though I still felt "off". 1/2 hour ago I had the same feeling in my left arm, strange cool feeling in my chest/ throat, and a tight feeling in my face. I've been having numbness in my middle and ring Niger on both hands or a long time now. I sleep in hand braces. Is his tingling feeling anything to o with that, or is it epilepsy with different symptoms? Help, I am so scared and worried. By the way, I live on an island that has a nurse. I'm 30 min away from a dr by boat, and 1 hr away by plane from a hospital.
posted on Tue, 16 Apr 2013
Twitter Fri, 19 Apr 2013 Answered on
Twitter Fri, 19 Apr 2013 Last reviewed on
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Neurologist 's  Response
Hi,



Thank you for posting your query.



Most of your symptoms are related to epilepsy.



Certain epileptic attacks are more common during or before menstrual periods, called as catamenial epilepsy.



So, please continue the dilantin (phenytoin).



However, if these episodes persist or increase, an additional anti-epileptic may have to be added.



Please get back if you require any additional information.



Best wishes,



Dr Sudhir Kumar MD (Internal Medicine), DM (Neurology)

Senior Consultant Neurologist

Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad,

My personal URL on this website: http://bit.ly/Dr-Sudhir-kumar

My email: drsudhirkumar@yahoo.com
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Taking Dilantin For Epilepsy. EEG Showing Abnormal Activity In The Brain. Tingling In The Head, Chest Tightness, Numbness On Fingers

Hi, Thank you for posting your query. Most of your symptoms are related to epilepsy. Certain epileptic attacks are more common during or before menstrual periods, called as catamenial epilepsy. So, please continue the dilantin (phenytoin). However, if these episodes persist or increase, an additional anti-epileptic may have to be added. Please get back if you require any additional information. Best wishes, Dr Sudhir Kumar MD (Internal Medicine), DM (Neurology) Senior Consultant Neurologist Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad, My personal URL on this website: http://bit.ly/Dr-Sudhir-kumar My email: drsudhirkumar@yahoo.com