I had seizure after having an energy drink. Why?

Question

Hi doctor,

I had a grand mal seizure two months before after drinking an energy drink. Since then, my sleep has become progressively worse. I am a nurse and worked the last three long days. However, I slept for one hour last night, and I was wide awake. I took the maximum dose of Melissa for the dream to assist me, but it did not work. I have also tried Valarian, but I still awoke at 3 AM. I used Melatonin for one week, which did help me sleep, but I felt like a zombie during the day, and I became so severely constipated. I also feel that I am hyper salivating. I am aware of too much sensation in my lips, which has been new since the seizure. I also had a feeling of stress in my chest for no reason after the seizure. I guess it is still there most of the time, particularly when I cannot sleep. I have been to my general practitioner (GP), but I have to wait for a neurologist review. I had a computed tomography (CT) brain, which was fine, and I will have an magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in two days. I fear that this is hormonal, and I will be left like this long-term. Any of your help would be appreciated as I feel I am losing my mind.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com. Thanks for writing in, and I understand your concern. For the seizure activity, the cause has to be evaluated. If that was an acute symptomatic seizure following an energy drink, then you might have reacted to some of its content. It is important to assess other causes as well. I suggest taking an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) brain and EEG (electroencephalogram). In such cases, where there is insomnia, we usually prefer to use Zolpidem for this purpose. This drug induces your sleep and makes your morning fresh. So, ask your doctor for a prescription as this is a prescription medicine. I will be waiting to hear from you with your MRI report. The probable cause is idiopathic. Investigations to be done are MRI brain and EEG.