Abnormal EEG due to Buspirone
My daughter was recently diagnosed with Generalized Epilepsy. She has had a history of Vasoval Syncope which always is provaked by medical or dental procedures. She has had 3 episodes that were bowel or bladder related. The most recent was Jan 30 2024. She was lying on her bed and strated to have dis comfort in her lower abdomen. she passed out. We went to the ER for the pain. The ER doctor diagnosed and treated her for colon infection. He said to folow up with her PCP for referral for possible colonoscopy. She scheduled an appt with a new doctor because her doctor left the practice. the new doctor did not care about her history or her recent infection. He referred her to a neurologist for an EEG. He said to rule out epilepsy. Okay!? We followed his instructions. The neurologist was very rude and again didn't care about her history. He abrutly told us that my daughter has epilepsy and he was reporting her to PA DOT. He laughed when she told him she was on Buspirone. He said add Lamotrigine to her medications. She had an EEG the week before and he said there was some abnormal activity on it that indicated potential for seizures. It took us days to even begin digesting this diagnosis. My 25 yr old daughter is devastated that she had her license taken away. We are in the process of a second opinion. We switched to a different health organization for her PCP and Neurology. She has a new EEG scheduled for 6/3. The new neurologist said stop taking Buspirone, but she didn't really say why. After some research, I am finding info that Buspirone can cause spikes and waves on an EEG, which would present as epileptiform abnormalities. Has any one been misdiagnosed with epilepsy due to medication interfering, over reading or misreading an EEG? It is my understanding that misdiagnosis is common. Thanks in advance for any words of wisdom.
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@reespencer5150
For sure, some medications can lead to seizures and even be the cause of epilepsy, like it happened to me when I was a child.
For example, in 2022 I had the J&J Covid Vaccine and it triggered many seizures (13 in a day).
As I have shared in a recent post in our group, my epilepsy was caused by a medication I took when I was 5 years old (I am today 53 years old). Unadvisedly, my grandfather had left a medicine (Cochinelle) on his night table and I thought it was a sweety.
For decades, I have had epilepsy without knowing it, being misdiagnosed. My EEGs always came out normal. Today, I have learned that a normal EEG does not guarantee that one does not have epilepsy. The best diagnosis is through a conversation with a good doctor.
If you do not feel comfortable with your current doctor, go for a second opinion or even a third one. The best would be to have an opinion of an epileptologist. I felt a great difference when I started to be treated by an epileptologist! But, it took me a good while and many experiences with different neurologists and psychiatrists to discover that such a medical specialty existed.
All my best to you and your daughter!
Chris (@santosha)
Thanks for the info. We are in the process of second opinion, as well, as follow info that with an epileptic’s if needed.