Seizures in alcohol-dependent patients: epidemiology, pathophysiology and management

In this article, learn what alcohol does to the brain, how it can lead to seizures, and what you need to know about alcohol use if you already have a seizure disorder. Consuming alcohol in large quantities for extended periods seems to increase seizure frequency and might increase your risk of SUDEP. According to the Epilepsy Society, consuming alcohol may make your epileptic medications less effective and may make the side effects of your medications worse. This article explores how alcohol affects people with epilepsy and provides recommendations for how much alcohol is best to consume. Below is some information that could help with managing the risks of drinking alcohol if you choose to do so.

What can trigger a seizure?

1. Drinking moderately at the most will help you avoid developing alcohol dependence.
2. Epilepsy Society and any third party cannot be held responsible for any actions taken as a result of using this service.
3. These seizures may cause people to have unusual sensations or emotions, behave in unexpected ways, or experience convulsions or loss of consciousness.
4. Yet, there is currently little knowledge on the alcohol-drinking behavior of epilepsy patients.

Research is lacking on which antiseizure medications are safest during pregnancy. Certain antiseizure medications (such as valproic acid) during pregnancy can result in an increased risk of major congenital malformations and certain cognitive issues. It’s important to discuss with your healthcare provider the best antiseizure medication for you prior to becoming pregnant. Experts recommend people with epilepsy and seizures eat diets that focus on a higher healthy fat and protein intake, such as the modified Atkins diet and the ketogenic diet. This is because eating significant quantities of carbohydrates can cause spikes in blood sugar levels and increase the risk of seizures. Abnormally low blood sugar levels can lead to seizures, and this drop normally occurs at the same time as a hangover, causing people to connect the hangover with the seizure.

Support for seizures and epilepsy

In the study population, generalized genetic epilepsy was an independent predictor for the occurrence of alcohol-related seizures. The mean alcohol intake prior to alcohol-related seizures was not higher in patients with generalized genetic epilepsy than in subjects with focal epilepsy. Lennox stated that alcohol-related seizures had occurred more often in patients with symptomatic than in cryptogenic or idiopathic epilepsies (1).

Best foods for epilepsy

While cirrhosis scars from excessive drinking are irreversible, quitting alcohol and leading a healthier lifestyle can help your liver heal from alcohol-related liver disease. That is why alcohol detox and alcohol withdrawal treatment is administered by medical professionals. The answer to whether alcohol can trigger seizures is more complex than you might think. Clearly, people diagnosed with epilepsy have different answers to the question, “Does alcohol affect epilepsy? ” This can be confusing — especially if you or someone you love has been newly diagnosed with epilepsy and is deciding whether or not to drink. Luckily, current research can help you make wise decisions about your relationship with alcohol.

Associated Data

Those who are exposed to it during pregnancy can go on to suffer from a wide range of difficulties from physical to mental and emotional. Amongst these lifelong implications is an increased risk of alcohol-induced seizures. In particular, benzodiazepine is found in certain epilepsy medications, including clonazepam (Klonopin), lorazepam, and diazepam (Valium). When this drug interacts with alcohol, it can affect your heart rate and breathing, and could be very dangerous.

What is epilepsy?

Antiseizure medications (previously known as antiepileptic or anticonvulsant medications) are prescription medications that help treat and prevent seizures. Healthcare providers may prescribe these medications to treat other conditions as well. A 2021 study found that people with epilepsy have a higher risk of experiencing a seizure up to 60 minutes after eating. Eating a balanced how to tell when alcohol is affecting your relationships and nutrient-dense diet focusing on a higher healthy fat and protein intake may help reduce the risk of experiencing blood sugar spikes and seizures. In severe cases, seizures can last more than five minutes or reoccur repeatedly; this is a dangerous condition called status epilepticus. Status epilepticus is a medical emergency and can lead to lasting, irreversible brain damage.

When you consume alcohol, it’s absorbed into your bloodstream from the stomach and the small intestine. Females can be more susceptible than males to many of the negative consequences of alcohol use, such as nerve damage, as they may begin to see effects from a lower amount of alcohol consumption. The heavier the consumption, the bigger the drop and the lower the patient’s blood sugar becomes.

Additionally, epilepsy medications can increase the effects of alcohol, causing each drink to make you more intoxicated than it usually would. Someone with epilepsy should use alcohol very carefully, as it can increase the risk of severe health problems and complications. For those that may already be suffering from the emotional effects of alcohol, it will be important to know more about the alcoholic seizures. Seizures are what happens when there is a problem in the brain resulting in excess of electrical activity.

Anything that disrupts the communication pathways can lead to a seizure. Independent predictors for alcohol consumption within the last 12 months. Before taking your medications, it’s a good idea to check with your doctor or your pharmacist to see if it’s safe to mix with alcohol. Prolonged drinking can lead to compensatory changes in your brain, such as the down-regulation of GABA receptors and increased expression of NMDA receptors. You could also talk to your doctor or epilepsy specialist nurse about your personal level of risk.

Flashing lights, especially repetitive on and off or patterns, may trigger a seizure. However, someone who is having an alcohol withdrawal seizure may not need any trigger other than stopping alcohol use. Alcohol has the potential to enhance some side effects of anti-seizure medications, including drowsiness and dizziness. Alcohol can also impact how certain medications are absorbed by the body.

After the seizure, you should position them on their side and ensure that their airway is clear while waiting for emergency assistance. If you have any concerns aboutdrinking alcohol it’s a good idea to ask your doctor, that way you can learnmore about how drinking may affect your ASMs or particular type of epilepsy. Symptoms of focal seizures may be confused with other conditions of the brain or nervous system. Independent predictors for the occurrence of alcohol-related seizures within the last 12 months in patients with epilepsy. Alcohol withdrawal can be dangerous for many reasons, but seizures and the possible development of delirium tremens increase the risk of severe complications or even death. Because of the risk of seizures and other serious symptoms, detoxing from alcohol should only be attempted with medical support.

Someone with delirium tremens may have hallucinations, psychosis, heartbeat changes and high body temperature. Seizures often occur during delirium tremens but are not always a symptom of this condition. Withdrawal seizures also happen independently of delirium tremens, and having seizures during withdrawal doesn’t necessarily mean that delirium tremens is present. how to stop drinking Drinking too much alcohol at once can increase your risk of seizures, especially if you binge drink or have a history of seizure problems. Alcohol use changes brain signals and can cause dehydration and changes in the normal concentrations of chemicals in your bloodstream. Seizure medicine can also interact with alcohol, making its effect even greater.

Ultimately, everyone’s brain is different and responds to alcohol in different ways. You may choose to try a drink or two of alcohol in a controlled environment to find out if it triggers seizures, or you may decide drinking is not worth the risk of having a seizure at all. It’s important to discuss drinking with your doctor, especially as it relates to any medication you may be taking.

When seizures do happen as a result of alcohol, they occur within six to 72 hours after drinking. They do not generally happen while a person is drinking, or even within a few hours of stopping. For this reason, if you do choose to drink, it’s important that you pay attention to your seizure activity for up to three days afterward. In patients with generalized genetic epilepsy, seizures commonly manifest within 30 min after awakening.

Medical guidelines recommend you remain on your current antiseizure medication during pregnancy, as the benefits of taking it outweigh the potential risks to the fetus. Stopping antiseizure medications can result in breakthrough seizures and status epilepticus, which can be harmful to you and the developing fetus. Doctors do not fully understand how blood sugar levels can trigger seizures. However, they have noticed that a sudden crash or spike in blood sugar levels can trigger seizures in people with epilepsy and diabetes. The highest risk for alcohol-related seizures is typically during detox.

All these factors combine to increase your risk of seizures while using alcohol. Alcohol misuse can lead to neurological damage that can affect multiple areas of a person’s health and well-being. The best way to avoid the issue is to limit alcoholic consumption to 2 or fewer drinks per day for males and 1 or fewer for females.

Many medications used to treat seizures (anticonvulsants) can have drug interactions with alcohol (ethanol). Most commonly, added central nervous system side effects like drowsiness, dizziness, mood changes, and trouble concentrating, can occur. Sometimes it can be hard to avoid drinking in certain social situations – such as at college parties or festivals. If you are going somewhere where you think people will be drinking heavily, you might want to bring your own non-alcoholic drinks so you can still take apart without risking having a seizure.

Together, you and your healthcare provider will decide what’s best for you. Before you reach for your next drink, Dr. Anand explains how alcohol can affect your brain — not only in the short term, but also in the long run. And if you have one too many alcoholic drinks, you may start to slur your speech and have trouble alcohol use disorder treatment walking in a straight line — and that’s all before dealing with a hangover the next day. Some people with focal seizures have warning signs in the moments before a seizure begins. It’s estimated that 1.2% of people in the United States have active epilepsy, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.