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Crazy Eyes during Tantrum - like she wasn't there
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<blockquote data-quote="Marguerite" data-source="post: 251266" data-attributes="member: 1991"><p>Don't automatically assume the "crazy eyes" is seizure activity. It MAY be, but tere can be a much simpler explanation.</p><p></p><p>I've been told, years ago, that when I get really angry, my eyes change colour. It was actually a friend at uni who told me. I felt one of our uni lecturers was being officious and blocking legitimate attempts for us to do some catch-up work in the lab, which had been made necessary due to equipment failure. But because I'd been partnered with a bloke who had a reputation for goofing off, we were stopped from doing the make-up work. So I went to town on the professor. Polite, yet extremely angry. And my prac partner said, "You were really scary. Your voice stayed quiet but your eyes changed colour."</p><p>I remember how angry I was. I was blazingly furious, but knew better than to swear at the professor or to otherwise lose control. But beneath my control, I was really, rally angry and feeling it. I was so glad I was still able to use words efficiently.</p><p></p><p>But the eyes changing colour? I put it down to exaggeration, until years later when studying neurophysiology. That is when I discovered the effects of adrenalin (and other stress hormones released during extreme arousal such as being flamingly furious with your Physics professor!) on various parts of your body, including pupillary reflexes.</p><p>In simple summary - when there is enough adrenalin surging through your body, things move around and shut down. There is a rush of energy to parts of your body that need it (ie legs, for running; muscles, for punching, hitting, kicking; brain, for thinking fast) and away from areas that don't need it (stomach, for digestion). Another area affected happens to include the pupils, they can narrow down a lot. Just as your pupils enlarge when you are happy and look at something pleasing, so your pupils will contract down when yo're angry, upset or looking at something nasty. And if you have pale eyes (as I do) then a change in pupil size will make the eyes seem darker or lighter, overall.</p><p>If you're looking at your child and see this change happen, you mightn't realise what it is consciously, but your subconscious (perhaps that primitive crocodile brain that you need for your own self-preservation) recognises the change and also recognises it as a sign of danger, and sends you a subliminal warning.</p><p></p><p>I remember difficult child 3's reaction on Strattera - he was raging so extremely, that he seemed possessed. Even now looking back I wouldn't call it anything like seizure, but it was totally out of character in how he physically attacked me. In his mind I was blocking him, being deliberately mean and provoking him to such extremes he felt driven to attack, as if I had been attacking him with a weapon repeatedly. This was only just before Christmas, he still shudders when I mention Strattera. It took us a few hours to realise the problem, it took him another couple of days before he came off the Strattera and was able to finally see just how much it had twisted his thinking.</p><p></p><p>So a reaction like this - yes, it's upsetting. It certianly should be mentioned to the doctor. But seizures? Consider it worth checking out, but certainly not a foregone conclusion. And next time she's raging like this, have a scientific look at her eyes and try to not respond emotionally (not easy).</p><p></p><p>Marg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marguerite, post: 251266, member: 1991"] Don't automatically assume the "crazy eyes" is seizure activity. It MAY be, but tere can be a much simpler explanation. I've been told, years ago, that when I get really angry, my eyes change colour. It was actually a friend at uni who told me. I felt one of our uni lecturers was being officious and blocking legitimate attempts for us to do some catch-up work in the lab, which had been made necessary due to equipment failure. But because I'd been partnered with a bloke who had a reputation for goofing off, we were stopped from doing the make-up work. So I went to town on the professor. Polite, yet extremely angry. And my prac partner said, "You were really scary. Your voice stayed quiet but your eyes changed colour." I remember how angry I was. I was blazingly furious, but knew better than to swear at the professor or to otherwise lose control. But beneath my control, I was really, rally angry and feeling it. I was so glad I was still able to use words efficiently. But the eyes changing colour? I put it down to exaggeration, until years later when studying neurophysiology. That is when I discovered the effects of adrenalin (and other stress hormones released during extreme arousal such as being flamingly furious with your Physics professor!) on various parts of your body, including pupillary reflexes. In simple summary - when there is enough adrenalin surging through your body, things move around and shut down. There is a rush of energy to parts of your body that need it (ie legs, for running; muscles, for punching, hitting, kicking; brain, for thinking fast) and away from areas that don't need it (stomach, for digestion). Another area affected happens to include the pupils, they can narrow down a lot. Just as your pupils enlarge when you are happy and look at something pleasing, so your pupils will contract down when yo're angry, upset or looking at something nasty. And if you have pale eyes (as I do) then a change in pupil size will make the eyes seem darker or lighter, overall. If you're looking at your child and see this change happen, you mightn't realise what it is consciously, but your subconscious (perhaps that primitive crocodile brain that you need for your own self-preservation) recognises the change and also recognises it as a sign of danger, and sends you a subliminal warning. I remember difficult child 3's reaction on Strattera - he was raging so extremely, that he seemed possessed. Even now looking back I wouldn't call it anything like seizure, but it was totally out of character in how he physically attacked me. In his mind I was blocking him, being deliberately mean and provoking him to such extremes he felt driven to attack, as if I had been attacking him with a weapon repeatedly. This was only just before Christmas, he still shudders when I mention Strattera. It took us a few hours to realise the problem, it took him another couple of days before he came off the Strattera and was able to finally see just how much it had twisted his thinking. So a reaction like this - yes, it's upsetting. It certianly should be mentioned to the doctor. But seizures? Consider it worth checking out, but certainly not a foregone conclusion. And next time she's raging like this, have a scientific look at her eyes and try to not respond emotionally (not easy). Marg [/QUOTE]
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