alcohol and seizures

[taurus25]

Hi all, I'm new to the forum, and am hoping to get some feedback. I do not have epilepsy myself, but my husband has had it for over 12 years. I'm trying to understand it better and grasp how he thinks about it.
Most of his seizures have happened within a 24-48 hr period after drinking. While he has drank many many times with no seizure activity, I do wonder if they are correlated. Maybe not the actual alcohol but the withdrawal from it? I've made myself so anxious, that I never want him to drink again (and find it repulsive now) and it's causing a big riff in our marriage...
any feedback would be great.

 

[George__]

Maybe it's his age?

I've never had a seizure the day after, that night or two days after 1-2 beer casual drinking. I did cause a seizure after about 3 weeks of severe drinking and partying but it was a special case/circumstances.

Alcohol probably doesn't help his seizure condition though... Some people are even affected by caffeine levels.

 

[Fedup]

taurus25

Its not just his age, it is not wise to mix alcohol and drugs no matter what your age is and yes this can affect his seizures. However there are some people who can tolerate certain amounts with no effects. There is no point in making yourself anxious because all you can do is advise him, the final decision has to be his. This sounds harsh but if he cannot see this maybe affecting his seizures then he is denying it, there is very little you can do, we all want to carry on as we always did but some sacrifices have to be made on our part. It cannot be easy for you watching the seizures he has and all you want to do is stop them for him but he wants the very same thing, so having an argument about it is putting stress on both of you and neither one deserve that or need it. Try and get him to keep a diary of every day when he does and does not go out drinking or you do then look back over it and see where the most seizures occur and what was different about that day com paired to others, maybe then a pattern will emerge for you both. You have to understand he has no desire to let this change him and so there are things he wants to keep doing even though you have a different opinion, you cannot just say "the drink is causing this give it up" you have to talk and say have you noticed how this seems to happen on/after occasions like this, and tell him how its affecting you and how you feel. Its obvious you Love him and him you, you would not be arguing otherwise. Sit down and try to talk about all this, you will be very surprised how much you both have the same ideas and fears and want the same thing, for all this to be over however it is not that simple for either. So make a cup of tea/coffey try to relax and realise you both have the same goal and even though you find it very hard to go through, - I am not being smart or bad or anything - but he finds it just as bad and its not easy coping with seizures. I gave up drinking, it was that or me but that is only me as I said there are others who drink with no problem.

 

[Belinda5000]

I don't drink at all, don't even like taste of alcohol.
maybe he shouldn't drink at all.
Has he talked with his doctor about this?

 

[Cint]

When my seizures began over 30 years ago, it was after a weekend of partying, so I don't know for sure if the seizure(s) were due to drinking. I do know there are serious consequences for people who do have E and a drinking problem, so I don't drink alcohol now. And alcohol definitely does interfere with some of the AEDs. Please check out this website for more info:

http://www.epilepsy.com/learn/triggers-seizures/alcohol

 

[Nakamova]

Alcohol could be a contributing trigger for your husband, especially if the drinking leads to poor sleep or dehydration. Many things can be triggers however, so it might be tough to know for sure. Does your husband keep a seizure/symptom diary? That can sometimes help identify patterns/triggers.

Just about anything that causes physical, physiological, environmental, or emotional stress can potentially be a trigger, but here are some to look for: Fatigue, dehydration, illness/injury/infection, dietary sensitivities, electrolyte imbalance, hormonal fluctuations, and flashing/fluorescent lights.

Generally speaking, practicing moderation and striving for overall good health is beneficial to someone with epilepsy. If you and your husband can take a proactive approach it might make a positive difference in his seizure control. Check out http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f22/proactive-prescription-epilepsy-1254/ for some good basic information and advice.

 

[marika853]

Taurus,
Welcome. You didn't mention if your husband is on medication.
I take 1000 mgs of generic Keppra and 5 mgs. lorezepam daily. I usually will just have one beer or perhaps 2. If I have more or heavy liquor I've noticed that I can not take my lorezepam because I can't sleep.
We all have to figure out what Our bodies can or can't tolerate. I agree with the others. HE needs to keep a diary and HE needs to figure out what's going on with HIS body!
You must love him very much, but you have to let him figure things out for himself. Just be there for him.
Good Luck!
M

 

[taurus25]

Thank you all for your responses! I really appreciate it! I have so many more questions (not just about alcohol). Should I use a new thread?

@fedup- I think you've raised the same point about denial that I've been wondering about. He always says he's made many sacrifices in his life because of seizures, and he's not willing to sacrifice anymore. He says alcohol is his escape, which sounds dangerous to me... He doesn't have that good of will power once he starts something, to say no. Unfortunately, now the smell of alcohol is like "nails on a chalk board" to me. The way it mixes with his body and smells is repulsive. This has been an ongoing dispute between us for years, and a few years before we got married he had stopped drinking and said he was done. I even asked him once we were engaged- still said he was done. So breaking that promise and trust, has driven a wedge between us.

@nakamova- he does not keep a seizure/symptom diary. I've kept a small one as far as the alcohol part is concerned. It feels like maybe he is still in denial and anger about epilepsy, and if he starts to acknowledge it more, it becomes even more real?

@marika853- He is on 750mg of keppra (generic version) twice a day. I don't remember if that's the total he takes or the mg per pill he takes.

 

[Cint]

If your hubby is still in denial about his alcohol.. He needs help! Alcohol is NOT an escape. He sounds like an alcoholic to me. You need to step up and set some boundaries as E , Keppra and alcohol use can get very dangerous if it continues. It has already driven a wedge between you, so please, help yourself first by educating yourself. Here is what combining Alcohol and Keppra can do:

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/drug-levetiracetam/page3_em.htm
Avoid drinking alcohol. It can increase some of the side effects of levetiracetam and may also increase the risk of seizures.

 

[valeriedl]

I take a good many meds and one of them is Keppra. I can have a drink every so often, and by every so often I mean one drink every few months, and I've never had a problem. If I have more than that, epically at a time, I'm almost guaranteed to have a seizure.

Does his dr know about his drinking? Bring it up at his next visit and have the dr tell him that it's something that he should not be doing. Maybe if he hears if from someone other than you, epically the dr, it might sink in?

Thank you all for your responses! I really appreciate it! I have so many more questions (not just about alcohol). Should I use a new thread?

Yes, there are many different rooms on this website that explain what is discusses in them. Start a new thread in whichever room deals with what you want to talk about so you can get a better answer to your question.

Nice to meet you!

 

[arnie]

From what you said,

"He says alcohol is his escape, which sounds dangerous to me. . . This has been an ongoing dispute between us for years, and a few years before we got married he had stopped drinking and said he was done. I even asked him once we were engaged- still said he was done. So breaking that promise and trust, has driven a wedge between us."

It's very clear that he has a problem with alcohol and that you both have known about it all along but have never addressed it in a way that will help you deal with it. The first thing you can do is get help for yourself to find out what your role is in his drinking and why you have been unable to set some good boundaries. A substance abuse counselor or an Al-Anon group could be a good place to start. (Al-Anon is kind of like Alcoholics Anonymous except it's for the families of alcoholics.) Hopefully he will then recognize his problem, agree that he needs help, and get involved in some sort of therapy. Merely having someone tell him that it's not good to mix alcohol and meds will not fix the underlying causes of his dependence on alcohol. Even if he stops drinking, the root causes will still be there for both of you and will continue to cause problems in your individual lives as well as in your marriage. This will be a long and difficult process, but with the proper help and motivation you will be able to do it.

Onward!

 

[George__]

The husband doesn't know how lucky he is :tdown:

 

[marika853]

I agree with Arnie. Go to an Al-Anon meeting. They will help YOU to deal with this.
I can't say enough good things about this organization.
Good Luck!
M

 

[cawhitern]

Alcohol lowers the seizure threshold and is contraindicated with most of our meds. Some of us can enjoy an occasional glass of wine but, as with most things in life, moderation is key. You're right to worry about your husband's alcohol intake. He's lucky to have a caring wife who recognizes his denial about his seizures and alcohol use. Good luck to you.