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Benzos Seizure while conscious?

Sertürner

Bluelight Crew
Joined
Apr 5, 2018
Messages
1,324
So it's been a long time since I have posted here. I was about to make a whole FAQ about delieriants actually, but life circumstances got in the way and I have been on a very rocky road since December. Anyways, to my question:

I had gotten in a major car accident in February, and that left me pretty messed up in the head. I have had tinnitus since then, along with recurring cluster headaches and an overwhelming feeling of stress from still having to go to college and work full time to provide for my family, on top of legal issues from the car accident. My behaviour has changed dramatically, it's very hard to control my emotions, I have been taking about 4mg xanax a day now instead of 3mg and upping the kratom as well. I have also dropped from 170lbs (from mid November) to 124lbs.

The other day I had gotten into an argument with the wife over something I cannot remember, I had only taken 2mg of alprazolam that day, and had been no more than 5 or 6hrs since my last dose. In the middle of the argument I realized I my left arm locked up close to my chest and started shaking violently. This spread to my left leg then over to the right side of my body. I was fully conscious and couldn't understand why I wasnt able to move or stop the shaking. I was biting my left cheek over and over and about 2min in my wife popped a xanax in my mouth. I held it sublingually for about 5min, still locked up but the shaking had been fading into muscle spasms, fading away in reverse order from how they started with my left arm being the last place to stop spasming. I could talk and understand what was going on around me the entire time, but was unable to move or do anything about it. The next day I was very weak and sore and I was slurring a bit.

I have had MRIs and CT scans done on my brain since the accident and everything checks out just fine apparently. Does anybody have any experience or knowledge about this? Possible benzo WD? Stress induced seizure? Pseudoseizure? I'm very confused, haven't been able to find much info.

Thank you,
Mr. Deeds
 
If you weren't unconscious then it definitely was not a seizure. It sounds like severe myoclonus to me? I have seen this with alprazolam withdrawal in particular where your body goes into seizure-type actions while conscious. It is often prelude to an actual seizure so your wife did the right thing. Things like this can happen from simply reducing your dose.
 
I had thought that myoclonus was generally VERY brief, not lasting more than a few seconds at max? I could very well be wrong though.
I have read on tonic clonic seizures and heard that they very rarely can happen without a loss of consciousness, due to where the seizure activity in the brain is. This would be my second "seizure" where I have remained aware if my surroundings, my last one being about 2 years ago after quitting a heavy drinking period CT.
 
When my benzo was changed and the dosage dropped from 4mg of alprazolam to 30mg of valium I had one major myoclonus after taking a bong hit. I had one leg in the air and was simply shaking for maybe 15 seconds and couldnt move otherwise.
 
I had thought that myoclonus was generally VERY brief, not lasting more than a few seconds at max? I could very well be wrong though.
I have read on tonic clonic seizures and heard that they very rarely can happen without a loss of consciousness, due to where the seizure activity in the brain is. This would be my second "seizure" where I have remained aware if my surroundings, my last one being about 2 years ago after quitting a heavy drinking period CT.

No, I've had myoclonus last for several minutes before.
Damn you should NEVER cold turkey from alcohol, you could have died.
 
Hmm..partial spasmodic somatic seizure?

This is what I was speaking of when I said pseduoseizures. I have an appt with a psychiatrist this month so hopefully this will get figured out. It has only happened when I have been in sick from not having benzos/alcohol in combination with stressful events happening in my life (first time was a massive fight with wife on top of CT alcohol, this time it has been nonstop mind racing and irrational thoughts that were not there before the accident, and a small argument with wife while missing xanax dose). It is very weird and terrifying. The xanax took the psychological toll off dramatically though once it started working, leading me to believe it was some weird WD symptom related to the GABA/glutamate system. But, maybe it's just in my fuckin head.
 
If you weren't unconscious then it definitely was not a seizure
You don't have to be unconscious to have a seizure. During a focal seizure (has been called partial seizure in the past) you are normally conscious.


It could've been a simple focal seizure with motor signs. Check out 'Jacksonian march'.
Glad that you're alive :D

And btw, I added a post about deliriants in my thread, you can check it out once you're feeling better :D https://www.bluelight.org/xf/threads/⭐️-biology-pharmacology-and-drugs-101-⭐️.872859/#post-14528969
 
You don't have to be unconscious to have a seizure. During a focal seizure (has been called partial seizure in the past) you are normally conscious.


It could've been a simple focal seizure with motor signs. Check out 'Jacksonian march'.
Glad that you're alive :D

And btw, I added a post about deliriants in my thread, you can check it out once you're feeling better :D https://www.bluelight.org/xf/threads/⭐️-biology-pharmacology-and-drugs-101-⭐️.872859/#post-14528969

Thank you kieffer! You have done what I could not and i am very appreciative for that. As for the Jacksonian March, sounds spot on. I'll will be bringing it up with my psychiatrist.
 
You have done what I could not and i am very appreciative for that.
I wouldn't say that you couldn't, you just didn't have time for it. I on the other hand had plenty of free time when I wrote it :p

Glad that I could help :)
 
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