Postictal Headaches

Posted by Dan Noyes @dannoyes, 2 days ago

I've started noticing that after seizures, it just feels like my brain hurts. While I have left temporal lobe epilepsy, the pain seems to focus on the rear right side. Anyone else experiencing headaches after a seizure?

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Chris Gautier | @santosha | 3 hours ago

@dannoyes
Hello Dan,
Postictal headaches are indeed quite common. The Epilepsy Foundation has some helpful information about this: https://www.epilepsy.com/stories/seizures-and-headaches-they-dont-have-go-together
I've experienced headaches after some of my complex partial seizures too, with the intensity varying depending on the seizure severity. However, looking back at my epilepsy journal, I've never really noted whether the pain was predominantly on the right or left side of my head – that's a really interesting observation you've made. After my tonic-clonic seizures, I'm usually so disoriented that I can't even remember if I had a headache. The muscle pain and stiffness from the seizure itself tend to overshadow everything else. With your observation, I will start paying closer attention to the headache location after my seizures.
Interestingly, we share the same condition – I also have left temporal lobe epilepsy. I have a mesial sclerosis on my left hippocampus. Do you also have sclerosis?
I understand that this headache pattern is something new for you after seizures, correct? I'm curious about what type of seizures (auras, complex partial, tonic-clonic) seem to trigger these headaches for you. Have you discussed this with your doctor, and if so, has she or he recommended any specific medications for managing the pain?
Take care!
Chris