An increas in seizures while in a moving vehicle?

[Elizabeth Baron]

Does anyone ever notice an increase with seizures while driving? I notice my son's a lot more when he is riding in a car. Just curious.

[Irene Flemming]

My son not so much as the seizure, but he wants the front seat

and needs to keep looking out the window.

He won't look at us, just stare out the window and jump off as

soon as the car stops.He will ask for the amount of time that he

will be in car,destination and estimated time to get there.

We thought this was due to the Asperger's with the Epilepsy.

irene

[Kari Lynne Brauer]

Motion can cause seizure to occur more frequently. Try putting a pair of sunglasses on him.

[Kirsten]

Interesting. I was thinking the same thing. My son the one day took off his seat belt while I was driving, and immediately fell asleep. I did not discover this activity until after we went to get out of the car. He swears he did not take his seat belt off, and become very agitated when I was talking about it with him. He has no memory of the incident. All I can figure is this was part of a seizure. Since then I have noticed several other seizures in the car. Most of his activity it in that really tired, and between sleep phase. The car often puts him to sleep, so I wonder if this is the correlation.

[Kari Lynne Brauer]

Let me try to shed a little insight to what your boys are most likely seeing when they get into a vehicle.

I say this because I have epilepsy as well since birth and have had trouble in vehicles before. I call it tunnel  vision, You get into the car. Your brain ....(have you ever been claustrophobic)?  Well, your brain is stuck in this tunnel mode. Nothing is around you except what you see in front of you. To you they look spaced out or daydreaming. Inside their mind is empty except what is at the end of the tunnel. They remain quiet and still because they are afraid and do not know how to respond. Talking to them keeps them comforted until they arrive or come out of the tunnel. Even if you have a conversation between you and other family this helps them stay calm even though they are quiet. The familiar voices they hear lets them know they are not alone. Sometimes dark sunglasses will help keep them from having that tunnel vision. I hope this helps. 

[Ericsmom]

Eric's activity increases in the car on sunshiny days.  Between the trees, sun and shade it produces a strobe type affect and here we go...

[Debi Langsdale]

This is interesting yes, my son would have seizures constantly in the car. Even before he was diagnosed, in hindsight he was having seizures just about every time we were in the car.
Maybe the motion puts them in sleepy mode causing the seizures ???
And for about a month after surgery he hated being in the car for more than a very short ride. He said he felt car sick.
Hmmmm ... Now I'm curious what's that about!

[Kari Lynne Brauer]

Ericsmom,

Do you remember when you were a kid and we had those kaleidoscopes? I think that is what they were called, those little tubes that have the little peep hole and you would spin the bottom and there would be different designs that would appear? Well, in his mind it is like that when the sun and shade, it is like looking through that kaleidoscope. Like you said strobe lights.

[Elizabeth Baron]

My son had a video eeg done and on the results said he has photic sensitivity to mid level frequencies. . .so after i read that and put 2 and 2 together with the car seizures. . .i am wondering if that could be the cause of his seizures, and how i would minimize the seizures in the car, because he is on Keppra and they are not stopping these seizures :/

[prayeroffaith4u]

As Kari suggested sunglasses... Keep them in the car and eventually it will become just as routine as buckling up! :)

[Elizabeth Baron]

I am going to try that, I hope it works for him. I just have to find a way to convince him to leave it on

prayeroffaith4u said:

As Kari suggested sunglasses... Keep them in the car and eventually it will become just as routine as buckling up! :)

[Cathy]

This is exactly what happens to my daughter!  I notice seizures just about every time we are in the car, but always thought is was the motion.  Or just the fact that we are in an enclosed environment together. But now that you mention it..... I think the sunlight coming through the trees is a definite contributor.  

Ericsmom said:

Eric's activity increases in the car on sunshiny days.  Between the trees, sun and shade it produces a strobe type affect and here we go...

[Kari Lynne Brauer]

If there is just sunlight it is fine or just shade, but when you get the sun and shade fluctuating with each other the flash is like a camera flash. It is too quick for the mind to comprehend, thus causing confusion in return causes a seizure.