What causes convulsive swallowing?

Question

My son (23) sometimes has bouts with convulsive swallowing. I've spoken to quite a few people, and come up with no answers.
Yesterday, he came in from work (nights), and went to bed--It took him 4 hours to get to sleep because of convulsive swallowing. It seems to happen about every 15 seconds or so, and is totally impossible to control. We don't think it's serious, doesn't happen all the time, but would greatly appreciate some tips on what it might be, and how to treat.

Answer 1

I strongly suspect that your 23 yr-old son has a convulsive (motor) seizure which involves vigorous contraction of muscles.
this partial ( focal) seizure is a seizure that involves a small region of the brain.
· A simple partial seizure occurs with intact awareness of self and surroundings.


A focal motor seizure may occur with convulsive activity of the face, arm, trunk
or leg. A simple partial seizure is usually confined to a single lobe of one cerebral
hemisphere


Has he been tested for epilepsy.?

The majority of epileptic seizures are controlled through drug therapy, particularly anticonvulsant drugs. The type of treatment prescribed will depend on several factors including the frequency and severity of the seizures as well as the person's age, overall health and medical history. An accurate diagnosis of the type of epilepsy (not just the type of seizure, since most seizure types occur in different types of epilepsy) is also critical to choosing the best treatment.

Therapy usually involved the use of anticonvulsants such as phenytoin(Dilantin); Diazepam ( Valium) or Phenobarbital and Tegretol to name a few. A ketogenic diet is also impt.

Lifestyle modification and avoidance of triggers (e.g., sleep deprivation, alcohol

Answer 2

Sounds like a nerve thing---he should see a doctor or a neurologist.
Does it only happen when he lies down, or all the time? If it is only lying down, it could also be post-nasal drip. I had a similar problem after recovering from a sever cold; the post-nasal drip and night-tim swallowing persisted for a good month after the cold seemed to be gone.