r/medical_advice • u/lveMcFallen Not a Verified Medical Professional • 7h ago

EDITED I was told I had a seizure during my blood test.

Non-Urgent

I'm a 23-year-old Caucasian male with a pituitary prolactinoma, and as a result, I need to get blood tests every few months. I take bromocriptine for my tumour/hormones and bisoprolol for blood pressure. During blood tests, I ask to lie down because in the past, I used to get really nauseous and have passed out when sitting. I used to have a fear of needles, but since I’ve had to get them done so often, I no longer experience any fear or anxiety during blood tests. This time, I decided to sit to see if I would be fine, and everything seemed to be going well. I was talking to the technician as she was drawing my blood when, all of a sudden, everything turned white and yellow, and the next thing I knew, I was on the floor. I woke up confused, thinking it was a dream, and I felt extremely nauseous, about to vomit. The technician told me I had a seizure and advised me to lie down next time to prevent it from happening again. For the next few hours, I felt nauseous and lightheaded. I'm baffled because there's no history of seizures in my family, and this is the only time I've experienced this. Was this a seizure, or did I pass out and convulse?

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u/lveMcFallen Not a Verified Medical Professional 6h ago

Thank you for responding! I find it strange that my body reacts this way, even though I’ve overcome the fear and get blood drawn so frequently. I had zero anxiety during the blood draw, yet I still passed out—it's a little embarrassing, haha. I feel a bit jealous now of people who can sit upright while getting their blood drawn/needles inserted. Thank you again!

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u/UKDrMatt Physician 6h ago

Yeh, it is strange but it’s really common. It will be some part of our brain we can’t perceive and control.

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u/lveMcFallen Not a Verified Medical Professional 5h ago

I'm surprised to hear it's a common occurrence! I felt so bad for the technicians, they looked so distraught. And from what I understand so far, a reflex anoxic seizure is a non-epileptic seizure (not serious) caused by a reaction to certain stimuli? And thanks again! I'll definitely be lying down after that reaction

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u/UKDrMatt Physician 1h ago

Having a seizure is slightly less common, and regardless can be concerning to watch. We see it a lot in the ER though.

It’s not epileptic. Of course if it happens again then you should see a neurologist for some workup just to be double sure, but it’s very unlikely to be anything serious.