Sometimes, internalized mental illness can play out through externalized symptoms. This is the case with PTSD seizures.

Admittedly, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) seizures aren’t a common occurrence. However, when they do occur, they can be detrimental. Throughout this article, we’ll take a look at PTSD seizures.

PTSD Seizures Defined

PTSD symptoms can affect cognition, mood, and behaviors. Sometimes these are externalized in physical symptoms. This is the case with PTSD seizures and there are two ways in which they may appear.

The most common is epileptic, an electrical interruption within the brain structure. They’re often categorized by: ¹

• Loss of consciousness
• Motor difficulties
• Sporadic behaviors

These last between 30 seconds and two minutes and usually aren’t explained or triggered by a specific source.

You may also experience a psychogenic nonepileptic seizure (PNES response). These are attacks that appear similarly to epilepsy but have a psychological trigger. ² They can last from minutes to hours. ³

What are the Symptoms?

The two types of PTSD seizures can create the following responses:

Epileptic Symptoms: ⁴

• Body tremors
• Head shaking
• Opening, closing, and rolling of eyes (occasional rapid blinking)
• Shifts in consciousness

PNES Symptoms: ⁵

• Confusion
• Increase in fear, anxiety, and paranoia
• Loss of consciousness or overall awareness
• Staring
• Stiffness of muscles
• Uncontrollable jerking movements

Above all, increased seizure duration or occurrences constitutes a medical emergency. Therefore, those experiencing one should be sent to an emergency room for evaluation and care.

What Causes PTSD Seizures?

PTSD is caused by a traumatic event. When a person experiences trauma, they develop this type of anxiety disorder as a response to the trauma.

When it comes to PTSD seizures, there’s no root cause. Still, researchers have broken down the causes into the two classifications of seizures:

Epileptic Causes

Evidence suggests that childhood and adolescent stress can impact the formation of epilepsy. Other factors that can increase the chances of developing epilepsy are: ⁶

• Brain cancer (or tumor)
• Cognitive affecting drugs (i.e. LSD)
• Lack of oxygen during birth
• Long-term alcohol abuse
• Strokes

Psychogenic Nonepileptic Causes

Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures can be caused by two factors.

In some cases, it’s a somatic symptom disorder. This is a physiological response that’s rooted in anxiety over a perceived medical condition. It can result in: ⁷

• Inability to function
• Increased pain
• Episodes of dissociation

Somatic symptom disorder is often linked to a traumatic event and triggered by environmental and emotional stressors. ⁸

However, PNES seizures are often a result of conversion disorder (or functional neurological symptom disorder). This occurs when you experience physical and sensory complications with no neurological reasoning, such as: ⁹

• Blindness
• Deafness
• Numbness
• Paralysis

This condition most commonly affects teenagers and young adults. However, since it’s triggered by stress, it can affect anyone of any age.

Both of these conditions are tied to psychological stressors and, therefore, are tied to symptoms of PTSD. ¹⁰

How to Treat PTSD Seizures

Treating PTSD seizures is a multi-pronged approach. You need to treat the psychological response (PTSD) and the physical response (the epileptic or PNES seizures) separately.

Treating the PTSD component is a mixture of talk therapy (such as cognitive behavioral or exposure therapy). On top of that, some utilize medication to ease symptoms.

Epileptic Seizure Treatments

Epileptic seizures are usually treated by medication. It’s important to have a neurology team monitor your condition to ensure it improves. The most common medications include: ¹¹

• Gabapentin (Neurontin) is an anticonvulsant that acts as a GABA neurotransmitter replacement. In those with GABA deficiencies, this can decrease abnormal excitement, which can cause seizure activity. ¹²

• Phenytoin (Dilantin) is also an anticonvulsant but in a different classification. It targets electrical activity in the brain, rather than decreasing or increasing a specific neurological transmitter. ¹³

• Phenobarbital is a barbiturate that acts as a regulator to over-active neurological transmitters. Simply put, its job is to slow overall activity in the brain and regulate seizure activity. ¹⁴

PNES Treatments

As for PNES responses, the recommended treatment plan is:

• Talk therapy – The most common practice for PNES seizures is targeted cognitive behavioral therapy. ¹⁵

• Exercise and Physical Therapy – Preferably, a structured regimen that involves calisthenics and strength exercises to increase stamina and neurological processing. ¹⁶

• Diet Changes – Involving foods rich in vitamins, minerals, and nutrients to improve cognitive function and reduce abnormal brain activity. ¹⁷

While medications aren’t common, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors may ease some of the physiological symptoms. ¹⁸

Holistic Treatments for PTSD Seizures

Since medication comes with plenty of side effects, some prefer natural options for PTSD. The best for PTSD seizures include:

• Melatonin – A naturally occurring hormone in the perineal gland that regulates sleep and rest for the body. There’s a belief that those with epilepsy might suffer from decreased melatonin levels, and certain studies have shown that melatonin can suppress seizures. ¹⁹

• Vitamin E – A fat-soluble vitamin that detoxifies the blood. ²⁰ A study has found those who took a vitamin E supplement had decreased seizure activity and symptoms. ²¹

• Magnesium – A mineral within the body that helps with protein synthesis, muscle and nerve function, blood glucose control, and blood pressure regulation. ²² Studies have shown that those with epilepsy have lower magnesium levels and that the mineral can help reduce seizures. Researchers believe magnesium inhibits the excitement of the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor. ²³

• Vitamin B-6 – One of the B vitamins and an essential nutrient as it assists with regulating brain function. ²⁴ Those with B vitamin deficiencies are more at risk for seizure activities. ²⁵

References

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² Popkirov S, Asadi-Pooya AA, Duncan R, Gigineishvili D, Hingray C, Miguel Kanner A, LaFrance WC Jr, Pretorius C, Reuber M. The aetiology of psychogenic non-epileptic seizures: risk factors and comorbidities. Epileptic Disord. 2019 Dec 1;21(6):529-547. doi: 10.1684/epd.2019.1107. PMID: 31843732.

³ Ali S, Jabeen S, Arain A, Wassef T, Ibrahim A. How to Use Your Clinical Judgment to Screen for and Diagnose Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizures without Video Electroencephalogram. Innov Clin Neurosci. 2011 Jan;8(1):36-42. PMID: 21311706; PMCID: PMC3036551.

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