If you're epileptic, you need to stop driving NOW.

she can certainly recognise the onset and pull over and stop.

Actually, that's what happens with Panic Anxiety too, I feel my heart start to race, the shaking start, my breathing quicken, or my skin flushing, which are all signs of an onset, and I pull over at the first safe place.

I take Xanax, but only when I'm not having to be functional. Half a pill of Xanax, 0.5mg knocks me out and I sleep about 10 hours. An entire one, (which I almost never take unless I have a "grand mal" attack, knocks me out for almost 20 or so. So I only take the Xanax to stop the building up of anxiety, (in other words to offset the internal build up), and only when I can sleep it off in the morning.

We've yet to find much medication that works while I'm active for me, as I'm very weird with medication, 9 out of 10 kinds won't do what they are supposed to do for me, or do the opposite. So I've spent years and years in therapy (started therapy in high school even before this was diagnosed), learning all the non-medicated tools like slowing my breathing, stilling the shaking, how to catch it coming on, etc. Sometimes there's is no option but to knock me out with the Xanax if it can't be stopped by other means. But like I said, that last happened in 1996, and the paramedics were called. (That was before I knew John). :) So I guess that's major progress to be proud of!

Brenda

The term is also loosely used by doctors, patients and therapists to describe a complete panic attack (I just explained it all in my reply to Boxely).

And the words panic attack are always included, as in "Grand Mal Panic Attack" not the word "seizure."

I was unable to drive much when I was first diagnosed because I didn't have all the tools in place to know how to breathe and calm down and stop shaking if I got panicked, but now I have a pretty good handle on all that as the morning of the funeral, surprisingly proved to me. :)

Don't worry Peter, it only seriously affects people's ability to drive if part of the things that causes their anxiety is driving itself, and that's not the case with me. :)

Brenda

Post #274,832 by pwhysall 12/5/06 8:25:04 AM Reply	If you're epileptic, you need to stop driving NOW. If you have a petit mal seizure at the wheel, you're going to come a real cropper. Also, if you'd had a grand mal seizure, you might not know anything about it, but everyone around you would. Peter [link\|http://www.no2id.net/\|Don't Let The Terrorists Win] [link\|http://www.kuro5hin.org\|There is no K5 Cabal] [link\|http://guildenstern.dyndns.org\|Home] Use P2P for legitimate purposes! [link\|http://kevan.org/brain.cgi?pwhysall\|A better terminal emulator] [link\|http://darwinia.co.uk/\|[image\|http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h262/pwhysall/Misc/saveus.png\|0\|Darwinia\|\|]]
Post #274,838 by boxley 12/5/06 9:20:22 AM Reply	no, thats what dilantin is for she can certainly recognise the onset and pull over and stop. thanx, bill Any opinions expressed by me are mine alone, posted from my home computer, on my own time as a free american and do not reflect the opinions of any person or company that I have had professional relations with in the past 50 years. meep
Post #274,839 by pwhysall 12/5/06 9:23:19 AM Reply	Well, in the UK that's not an option You get diagnosed as epileptic, you're immediately disqualified from driving. And even with medication, seizures can come on without warning. Peter [link\|http://www.no2id.net/\|Don't Let The Terrorists Win] [link\|http://www.kuro5hin.org\|There is no K5 Cabal] [link\|http://guildenstern.dyndns.org\|Home] Use P2P for legitimate purposes! [link\|http://kevan.org/brain.cgi?pwhysall\|A better terminal emulator] [link\|http://darwinia.co.uk/\|[image\|http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h262/pwhysall/Misc/saveus.png\|0\|Darwinia\|\|]]
Post #274,865 by Nightowl 12/5/06 12:47:39 PM Reply	Re: no, thats what dilantin is for she can certainly recognise the onset and pull over and stop. Actually, that's what happens with Panic Anxiety too, I feel my heart start to race, the shaking start, my breathing quicken, or my skin flushing, which are all signs of an onset, and I pull over at the first safe place. I take Xanax, but only when I'm not having to be functional. Half a pill of Xanax, 0.5mg knocks me out and I sleep about 10 hours. An entire one, (which I almost never take unless I have a "grand mal" attack, knocks me out for almost 20 or so. So I only take the Xanax to stop the building up of anxiety, (in other words to offset the internal build up), and only when I can sleep it off in the morning. We've yet to find much medication that works while I'm active for me, as I'm very weird with medication, 9 out of 10 kinds won't do what they are supposed to do for me, or do the opposite. So I've spent years and years in therapy (started therapy in high school even before this was diagnosed), learning all the non-medicated tools like slowing my breathing, stilling the shaking, how to catch it coming on, etc. Sometimes there's is no option but to knock me out with the Xanax if it can't be stopped by other means. But like I said, that last happened in 1996, and the paramedics were called. (That was before I knew John). :) So I guess that's major progress to be proud of! Brenda "When you take charge of your life, there is no longer need to ask permission of other people or society at large. When you ask permission, you give someone veto power over your life." -- By Geoffrey F. Abert ************************** "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind, don't matter - and those who matter, don't mind." -- By Dr. Seuss ******************************* "Sometimes it takes a whole lot more strength to walk away than to stand there and fight." -- By the character of John Abbott: said on Young & Restless on 5/19/06 *******************************
Post #274,864 by Nightowl 12/5/06 12:40:31 PM Reply	It's not really epilectic... The term is also loosely used by doctors, patients and therapists to describe a complete panic attack (I just explained it all in my reply to Boxely). And the words panic attack are always included, as in "Grand Mal Panic Attack" not the word "seizure." I was unable to drive much when I was first diagnosed because I didn't have all the tools in place to know how to breathe and calm down and stop shaking if I got panicked, but now I have a pretty good handle on all that as the morning of the funeral, surprisingly proved to me. :) Don't worry Peter, it only seriously affects people's ability to drive if part of the things that causes their anxiety is driving itself, and that's not the case with me. :) Brenda "When you take charge of your life, there is no longer need to ask permission of other people or society at large. When you ask permission, you give someone veto power over your life." -- By Geoffrey F. Abert ************************** "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind, don't matter - and those who matter, don't mind." -- By Dr. Seuss ******************************* "Sometimes it takes a whole lot more strength to walk away than to stand there and fight." -- By the character of John Abbott: said on Young & Restless on 5/19/06 *******************************

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