ABSTRACT
Once the diagnosis of porphyria was made, the patient was tapered off barbiturates and switched to intravenous lorazepam and then to oral clonazepam. She awoke from the prolonged drug-induced coma and was discharged from the hospital on clonazepam. However, she complained of memory problems and intermittent confusion as well as seizures. The seizures were characterized as periods of behavioral arrest and staring associated with automatisms, followed by up to 30 minutes of confusion. These events were felt to be consistent with complex partial seizures occurring up to 15 times a day.
