A 44-year-old member asked:
Can panic attacks cause seizures?
2 doctor answers • 5 doctors weighed in
Dr. Ahmad M Hadiedanswered
Orthopedic Surgery 50 years experience
Let me advise you: Only your doctor can diagnose epilepsy, and compare it to your worries about panic attacks. There are rare cases where the two are extremely close. But usually the symptoms are very different.
5.3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
Dr. Donald McCarrenanswered
Neurology 37 years experience
Poss but not likely: It is actually the other way around. Autonomic symptoms can include "ictal fear" and "impending doom" which can simulate a panic attack.
Another scenario is seizures occurring as the result of withdrawal of medications used for panic and anxiety (i.e. Benzodiazepines).
Finally, there is an entity called non-epileptic seizures arising out of primary psychiatric disease.
I hope this helps.
5.3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Similar questions
A 31-year-old member asked:
How can I distinguish between a panic attack and a seizure?
1 doctor answer • 1 doctor weighed in
Dr. Andrew Reevesanswered
Neurology 31 years experience
Various: During a panic attack people don't lose consciousness. During a convulsion, they do. That's one clue. Also, most seizures last a few minutes, up to 3 or 4 on average. Panic attacks are usually longer.
3.6k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
GA
A 24-year-old female asked:
What is the difference between a panic attack and a seizure?
5 doctor answers • 13 doctors weighed in
Dr. Bassam Amawianswered
Psychiatry 50 years experience
Big difference: Seizures r episodes of disturbed brain activities that causes changes in attention or behavior. Panic attack is a sever anxiety symptoms than can cause chest pain , shortness of breath , dizziness , light headed, and feeling like going to faint and it comes out of the blue.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
San Jose, CA
A 17-year-old female asked:
How long do each of these last and what is the difference between a panic attack and a seizure?
1 doctor answer • 2 doctors weighed in
Dr. Stephen Kibrickanswered
Clinical Psychology 47 years experience
Anxiety vs. brain: A Panic Attack can last several minutes or longer, and is accompanied by breathing changes, intense feelings of dread, rapid heart rate, and tense muscles. They usually pass with no lasting ill effects. Seizures are usually shorter, and occur with loss of consciousness and convulsions (grand mal) or momentary "spacing out" without convulsions (petit mal). Both can be treated with medications.
2.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 39-year-old member asked:
What are the causes of random panic attacks?
2 doctor answers • 6 doctors weighed in
Dr. Aaron Amentanswered
59 years experience
MOST PROBABLY...: Assuming no physical basis for them, there is probably a common underlying cause connecting them. One finds out about that sort of thing in psychotherapy -
and when you find out, you can change/stop them. Meds help initially, but seeing the source is key to fixing things.
5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
CA
A 38-year-old member asked:
What can cause a child to have panic attacks?
2 doctor answers • 3 doctors weighed in
Dr. Jay Parkanswered
Pediatrics 51 years experience
Traumatic events: There is a strong genetic component in the development of panic disorder. Extraordinary stress or traumatic event to the genetically predisposed (susceptible) child results in the development of panic attack-discrete periods of intense anxiety symptoms.
6.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
Last updated Nov 27, 2017
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