i first noticed my symptoms like a year ago when i was 14 or 13 and i got up and went to go to the toilet and i just fell to the floor on my hands and knees, shaking and i couldn't hear or see anything and i thought i was dead. i was like that for a few seconds.

at school recently i've been spacing out and not hearing or seeing anything and i get fluttering in my eyes and hands. i'm getting checked out at the hospital.

My 14 year old son has just been diagnosed with petite mal, and has been prescribed Epilim 500, and after reading the list of possible side effects, I'm not sure if I want him to take the medication, or seek a safe (safer) alternative.

I have known my son went absent for many years, but as he is rather bright, I always assumed he had a train of thought and was just thinking intently about a problem he wanted to solve or overcome. It's only recently he has admitted to me he went blank and has no idea where he goes, whereas when he was younger, because he didn't realize himself, he was happy to just let me believe he had just had a thought.

Whenever my son comes out of it he is always aware he has just gone blank, and he gets so apologetic for it, especially when he is pouring a glass of drink and more ends up on the floor than the glass can possibly hold. I keep trying to assure him that there is absolutely no reason to apologize for what happens, and regardless of what may ensue during his blank I remain calm and never get annoyed with him.

As I'm only new to this situation (the cause,not the condition), I must say I was very impressed to find this site and comforted to read about the situations of others, and I now know I'm not alone with this.

I wish the best for all those who are afflicted with this problem.

Thanks!

I was diagnosed petite mal at the age of 8. My parents noticed my first seizure when I was 7. I was under a medical supervision (twice a year) until the age of 16 (without any seizures). Being properly treated I did not experienc any more seizures until the age of 22 (without any medications between 16 and 22).

At the age of 21 I was living in a very stressful environment. Since then (age of 22) I am again using different medications (carbamazepine). Seizures did not disappear with it, but since then the seizures (3–5 seconds long) appear only after the period in which I have been subjected to stressful conditions – only then! Good thing concerning such a short seizures is that I can always regain consciousness very fast, and from the people in my environment it is usually considered as a sudden fall of the blood pressure or a headache.

About a year ago I was living in an extremely stressful environment. Since then my condition has worsened. The duration of the seizures is longer and they do not appear as it was previously described. Now I am 38.

Due to the seizures I do not drive a car and I do not drink alcohol. Everything else in my life is as it should be.

I am professor at university and a big fighter. I believe that soon the seizures will be controllable again.

i just found out today that i have petit mal. in first grade i remember my teacher was reading a book, and i just went into a stare, and then i fainted. it only lasted about 30 seconds.

about 5 years later it happened again.

i'm 15 now. when i have these minor seizures everything just gets black and i have no clue about my surroundings and when it stops its like nothing ever happened.

hi im 19 years old and i was diagnosed petit mal when i was 7, all that happened was that i suddenly lost my consciousness for a couple of minutes and thats it i had to take medications for 2 years and then everything was fixed. unfortunately about 2 or 3 years ago everything came back but worst know i get convulsions when i go to sleep, i wet the bed y say things with no sense its so humiliating, i started taking the same pills that i took when i was little but things seem only to get worst this past few days i've been having this extreme convulsions when im awake and the most painful one was at my aunt's house at A PARTY i went to her room to watch tv with my little cousin and the next thing i know im almost at my house in a car!! everyone told me that suddenly i went to the living room were everyone was started acting like a crazy person saying stupid stuff and then moving my hands everywhere i was having a convulsion if it werent for my mom i would've fell and broken my head off. everyone was so freakin scared she was the only one who knew what to do... i wanna know is this ever stop? am i gonna have a normal life when people dont have to treat me like a child or is it just gonna get worst?

I had a seizure when I was 10 years old (my first seizure). I did not know what it was at the moment, I felt that I was shaking and I could not stop. I was in the car while my parents were driving and my cousin was sleeping next to me. I just grabbed a big ball that was next to me and I try to fall sleep. Then when I woke up and I was in the hospital with fever. I started taking medication depakote. I never knew what type of seizure or epilepsy I have. The doctors just said I had epilepsy. I continue having seizures, but I could know when they were coming sometimes. And usually my eyes will roll back involuntarily when I was nervous (mostly) or whenever. A seizure that I still remember happened when I was probably 11 or 12. My arm started shaking and I could not control it, I try to stop it with my other hand, my head also started shaking with to one side (right), my mom stop my arm with her hand and she hug me and I felt better, but then I could not breath and my parents put me in the floor or I fell and I was still shaking, I felt that I almost die; it was horrible. Until last week I was proud of not having seizures (for almost 9 years. I am taking Kepra now, the doctor changed it because he said it was but for my bones. However, last week I had a seizure at college in the computer lab, I did not even notice and I did not feel it coming. I was surprised that a lot of people was around me and I was seating in another seat. They said I fell of the chair while I was having a seizure; I do not know how long it was. I think I had that seizure because I used to take my pills at any time in the morning or at night and sometimes I forgot to take them and I was a little stressed too with homework and exams. I am 22 now and I am from Ecuador.

I have had what seems to be petite mal seizures ever since I was a baby (I am now 25). The last time I had one was just barely over 2 years ago, but I always wonder when the next one will be.

Over the course of my life, I've had around 10 or more. One of the ones that really stands out in my mind is when I was 8 months pregnant with my son. (he is now 2). I woke up laying in bed and I was shaking and I remember trying to talk to my husband but I couldn't get words to come out of my mouth. I don't know if that was a petite mal or grand mal or what but it was pretty freaky to me at the time. Doctors say I may have a type of arrhythmia. Soon as I can I want to get it checked out.

Anon2773, I experience/experienced what your daughter did. I took epilim for a couple of years then at the age of 13 it cleared up and i was almost 100% better. I am 15 now and about half a year ago the petit mal came back. I've always called them 'dazes'! anyway, I'm doing exams fairly soon and really hope that either the episodes go away or I'll have to go back on medication.

ANON494, did u ever take medication? How often do they occur, isn't it hard to cope?

i have petit mal, i may have had it for several years but i have never noticed it before my parents had no idea because it was so sudden, my french teacher saw me have it when i was saying a speech, i am 14 years old in june and i am on medication, it was because of her that i am getting better, I hope.

I was diagnosed as a petit mal sufferer from the age of about 8 to about 13 - I was on tegratol. Havent had episodes for years now but the last few years i've noticed that when I am run down or stressed or have not enough sleep, that I suffer with the same type of feelings I had as a child. Tingling sensation in the tongue & mouth, almost feeling like I cannot talk properly, dazed and vacant feeling and very fatigued. I wonder whether it is something that can reoccur again due to certain stresses? does anyone know as its worrying me again.

After reading this article about Petit Mal, I believe that my 9 month son had one of these seizure. It lasted a couple seconds in which his eyes rolled back and flickered a bit. Hopefully, it won't happen again. If it does than I'll have to seek medical help.

I had my first one at 16, then again at 19 and just now at 20. I guess mine is Atypical symptoms, I get nauseous, dizzy, then slump to the ground. I the dizziness takes a few minutes to go away.

Mine seems to be genetic and is caused by a drop in blood sugar. My cousin used to have them but has outgrown them, she ate protein often and it helped prevent them.

I have an 8 year old daughter who has petite mal and has been on epillin for 3 years. Her symptoms were so slight that even though she might zone out she would continue walking or still hold onto what she had in her hand etc, she would just not be there. She would come out of it and not even know what had happened. Not really that scary but the epillin stopped them completely. We are now starting to reduce her dosage epillin which you can't just stop taking. There does not seem to be any side effects from her taking epillin which is great. Fingers crossed they don't reoccur and that Petite Mal can be a childhood illness.

My 6 year old has been having very brief seizures almost from birth. He calls them "the shakes". They never last for longer than maybe a second.

He's scheduled to do an EEG later today. From what I'm reading hear, it sounds like it could be Petite Mal. I'm hoping it is.

i am one of the ones that don't stop having petit mal seizures in childhood. i have had them since i was a kid and still have the i am now 27 yrs old.