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Q: New to This Forum With Some Questions?
asked by: j_turlington3 on February 1st, 2005
New User
Maybe some of you can help? I have been having some pretty creepy experiences going on in my life recently, and I started googling my symptoms to see what might be going on. Google led me here.

I have been experiencing alot of deja vu lately. It comes and it goes, every couple or few days, but sometimes as often as 2 or 3 times within a day. When it happens, I am overcome with panic, paranoia, and I just become frozen. I become disassociated, and even though I am aware of my surroundings, but I am not able to interact with it. Its like I am pulled back, and I watch the events unfold. I feel as if I am in a movie, because its like I know what is going to happen, but I am too frozen to do anything about it. (not that anything traumatic has happened during any of these episodes that would necessitate me "doing anything about it" but I think it's more the fact of what is going on with me than what is going on around me)

when this happens, from what I can tell, it lasts anywhere from 30 seconds to a few minutes. The only thing that makes me feel a little stupid about posting this here, is I don't have any convulsions or seizures, and I don't black out.....It goes just as quickly and easily as it happens. But it leaves me with a horrible feeling of paranoia and anxiety. I feel cold, alone, and just all around freaked out by the experiences.

I have also been having bad problems with my memory. I can remember some things, others I cannot. I forget important stuff, like meetings or appointments, but remember stupid little things like my girlfriend wants fettucini alfredo for dinner tonight. I seem to remember long term things from my past (like the time when I was 8, me and my best friend did *fill in blank here*) better than short term things (such as I made a dentist appointment last week for tomorrow afternoon).

A little backgroound: I am a 27 year old male. I work part time as an auditor for an inventory company, and I go to college full time. I drink occasionally (like once every couple of months, in a social atmosphere), and I do not do drugs. I am not currently on any medications, and other than this, I believe I am in pretty decent health.

However, I did used to do drugs, such as mdma (aka ecstacy) and other methamphetamines, tranquilizers such as ketamine, and hallucinagens such as acid and lsd. I quite often did these in excess, and I used to drink very heavily and pop prescription painkillers as well. I quit everything 2 years ago, with the exception of the occasional domestic beer-or-two when at a restaurant or at a club.

Now I am not so naive to think that because I quit everything that the damage isn't still there, or that it is still affecting me in some way. I have done my research and I know that the substances I was using and abusing are the usual suspects when it comes to short term memory loss and other problems.

What I guess my questions are:

1) are these symptoms possibly a sign that I have "developed" a condition through the years of substance abuse, even though I have never had the convulsions?

2) is this a warning sign that there may potentially be a problem such as epilepsy or related medical condition?

3) am I just dealing with flashbacks and am being paranoid or should I go get checked out? If I *should* get checked out, then where would one go if they do not have health insurance?

Thank you in advance for those who offer their insight.

~j.L.
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kayakmom
replied on February 1st, 2005
Experienced User
Deja vu can be a type of seizure. The memory loss can also be part of seizures or your drug use in the past.



I really recommend that you go to a doctor to talk this through and see if they will order an eeg. Referal to a neuro would be a good idea.


You are right that the affects the drugs have on your central nervous system might leave lasting damage.


Since you have this frequently and it impairs function and is bothering you, please check out with a doctor.



Epilepsy.Com is a good place to read about seizures. You can do a search there for deja vu.....


Best wishes for good answers!
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happiness
replied on February 5th, 2005
New User
I agree with kayakmom, this is something that
you need to go to the doctor over. It can be either
way really. It is very frightening when you have
these kinds of feelings.

Happiness
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flashbakx
replied on March 12th, 2006
New User
See a neurologist, sounds like simple partial seizures
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