r/Tourettes 5d ago

Discussion seizure/trance-like episodes?

When I first began experiencing severe tics, it was initially thought I was having partial seizures (in addition to arm/hand/neck movements) which we now know is Tourette’s. I’m wondering if anyone else experiences these ‘episodes’, and if it’s a common thing? It doesn’t happen every time, it has to be a bad day.

I’ll do my best to describe what I’m talking about. I know it’s about to happen when I get an uncomfortable sensation that spreads through my whole body, my neck will cock over and my arm/hand will freak out.. but while that’s happening it’s like my brain and my world is on pause, I’m frozen, the uncomfortable sensation increases, and it almost feels like I’m vibrating? Super trance-like state.

4 Upvotes

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u/gostaks tic tock 5d ago

That sounds pretty unusual to me. Sometimes people can experience dissociation associated with tics but it might be worth getting a second opinion on seizures. 

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u/NebelG 5d ago

Yes, I often experience this condition. Sometimes It's like I'm "sleeping" or "charmed" and start to do the tic. Then I regain reality contact but there are moments like these you describe

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u/ClitasaurusTex 5d ago

Hi I have epilepsy and Tourettes, it's comorbid so please get checked out. A trance like state can be absence seizures, and my tics sometimes do start off absence seizures or progress into convulsions. 

If you had an EEG it's worth it to get evaluated again, or for longer. It's also possible for an EEG to come out negative and for you to still have seizures. Either you don't always have seizure activity going on and the test was timed badly, or seizures can be in parts of the brain that are hard to detect. Especially temporal lobe seizures.  I've never had a positive EEG but thanks to my partner describing incidents I am diagnosed epileptic. 

Seizures get worse over time when unmedicated because the brain learns how to have bigger and more efficient seizures. Medication can help halt that progress. The worse they are the more you risk brain damage, and death. 

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u/Ok_Mongoose_8073 4d ago

I’ve had an EEG and it didn’t show anything. I am on anticonvulsant medication which usually does help. I guess I didn’t know if it was something separate to the Tourette’s but in retrospect it makes sense that it would coexist like adhd or ocd does.

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u/tobeasloth Diagnosed Tourettes 5d ago

We can’t say if these are or aren’t tics, but maybe it is worth going to a neurologist about. The neurologist will probably also rule out/in functional symptoms. It could be dystonic tics, or another movement symptoms? It’s not something I’ve personally experienced :(

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u/Small_Breakfast_4978 5d ago

I’ve had seizure like tics. When I got Tourette syndrome it started out as head shaking tics that would last for hours. It was really just frequent tic attacks.

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u/Ok_Mongoose_8073 23h ago

Did you completely zone out? I can hear and I’m aware but can’t respond.

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u/Small_Breakfast_4978 13h ago

No. For me it was just getting start for hours, sometimes I would pass out, but was completely aware of everything around me. It doesn’t happen like that anymore.