Lormetazepam Withdrawal Case Had Motor Seizures Without a Clear Ictal Scalp EEG

A negative scalp recording does not automatically settle the cause of stereotyped motor events.

What the supplied paper shows

A case report described recurrent motor episodes after abrupt interruption of chronic lormetazepam misuse, with concurrent amitriptyline exposure. Video and clinical features supported the authors’ seizure interpretation despite absent clear ictal EEG abnormalities.

Limits of the finding

Withdrawal and another drug exposure overlapped. A single complex case cannot determine the diagnostic accuracy of that interpretation or establish that every similar event is epileptic. Preserved awareness and psychiatric history also require careful assessment.

What matters in a forensic review

Describe the video semiology, recording limitations and alternative explanations. The paper cannot make EEG unnecessary or prove withdrawal as the sole cause. In forensic review, distinguish diagnostic uncertainty from the mistaken assumption that either a normal scalp trace or a benzodiazepine history resolves the issue alone.

Source and related reading

Source: PMC7807204, supplied full-text paper. Findings are paraphrased; forensic implications are an interpretation.

Related: Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Belongs in the Differential for Catatonia, but a Review Cannot Diagnose the Case.