Beth - Interview 34

Age at interview: 22

Age at diagnosis: 19

Brief Outline:

Beth was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 19. She believes that her epilepsy was triggered by taking recreational drugs when she was a teenager. Her seizures are now controlled and she hasn't used any drugs since her diagnosis.

Background:

Beth is 22 and single. Ethnic background / nationality' White British.

Beth used to take ecstasy, cocaine and speed when she was younger and was told it may have...

Yeah well, when I was younger, when I was about fifteen, sixteen me and my friends we used to go to big raves, illegal raves, legal raves, any rave we could get into [laughs]. Being so young we used to go and part of these raves were the drug culture. And we used to do pills, Ecstasy pills, any pills, MDMNA, MDMA powder, Cocaine, Speed, and we used to puff as well. So the doctors reckoned that was the trigger for my epilepsy and I have no doubt that it was the pills and the amphetamine type drugs, stimulant drugs. I know I've done research in them in the past and found that they can mess your brain activity and stuff like that. So that's what I used to it's a bit naughty, when I was younger. 

But I don't do nothing like that any more I'm too scared to and I try and warn all my friends off them that do that stuff as well because it's definitely, definitely a trigger, I'm almost positive on that. But yeah it was, it was scary I just used to be a bit of a rebel and do silly things. I feel like a div, I feel like, I wish I'd never been so stupid. But I've learnt my lesson and hopefully other people will learn by mine as well, do you know what I mean? So hopefully some good will come out of this.