Drinking

[Sarahjane54]

What is the effect of occasionally having a couple of drinks on seizures? IMO not talking about every day or to excess. Just what would be considered "social drinking."

Thanks.

 

[Crash]

LOL,your certainly going to get a lot off diffrent answers for that questions.Personally i used to drink pretty hard at weekends,then have seizures on the tuesday,wedensday.But i can go in now and again have a skinful and have no adverse effects.But remember everyone has a diffirent seizure threshold,therefore your post is quite difficult to give a devinitive answer to,just take heed of others experiences.

 

[no.guru]

Not a satisfying answer, I'm afraid, but I think it depends on your individual case.

I've heard varying answers. One of my neuros said not to, except for a beer every now and then.

When I wasn't having seizures, I drank as normal without thinking about e. When seizures began again later, I told a nurse maybe I shouldn't have been drinking in those years. She told me in my case there was no reason to believe the two were related.

Personally, I've found my original neuro's advice to be the most practical. Alcohol may well interfere with your meds, so that's all the more reason to limit it.

 

[Crash]

Not a satisfying answer, I'm afraid, but I think it depends on your individual case.

I've heard varying answers. One of my neuros said not to, except for a beer every now and then.

When I wasn't having seizures, I drank as normal without thinking about e. When seizures began again later, I told a nurse maybe I shouldn't have been drinking in those years. She told me in my case there was no reason to believe the two were related.

Personally, I've found my original neuro's advice to be the most practical. Alcohol may well interfere with your meds, so that's all the more reason to limit it.

Im sorry it wasnt a satisfying answer,just a pure and simple honest one from my prespective and experiences.

 

[no.guru]

Im sorry it wasnt a satisfying answer,just a pure and simple honest one from my prespective and experiences.

I was referring to my response.

 

[Crash]

Ok,no sweat mate.

 

[epileric]

What is the effect of occasionally having a couple of drinks on seizures? IMO not talking about every day or to excess. Just what would be considered "social drinking."

Thanks.

I have to agree that there really is no satisfying answer. It depends on the individual & how they react, what medication(s) they might be on, how long it's been since they've eaten & how much, how quickly they drink, etc.

Also it might not effect some people at all until the next morning. That's when I'm more likely to have a seizure if I drink.

Usually I just have either a coke or a cranberry with soda (love that stuff).

 

[rich956]

your going to get alot of mixed emotions about this issue,but my four cents would be -no alcahol at all...most of the time meds effectiveness is decreased alot when drinking any time.so you can exspect alot more problems when you do. your messsin with your brain when you mix drugs...Ive been sober for 18 years , I chose to not drink because I had a child to raise by my self.Just Me....

 

[MaryK]

For me drinking and phenobarbital do not mix. I had a friend in my younger years who always thought a wine cooler would be light enough.. No, it was not. Not really a seizure with the wine cooler, but one of my migraines that feel like someone is pouring salt over my temporal lobe. I have never been willing to risk a seizure.

Katie

 

[LJ-Bain]

I find that I can't drink at all. It's just not worth it for me. Not drinking is something I can control. Whether or not I have a seizure is something I cannot.
At the same time though, one must enjoy life too!

 

[Endless]

Thought I'd pass this along. There may be a similar response from related classes of AEDs.

Ethanol interferes with metabolism of drugs that utilize the same hepatic oxidase system.

• For example the clearance of phenytoin is prolonged due to competition with ethanol for the same mixed-function hepatic oxidase system.​
• By contrast, with chronic use, ethanol causes induction of hepatic metabolizing enzymes and can, in this case, increase clearance of many drugs (e.g. phenytoin (Dilantin), Tolbutamide (Orinase)).​

http://www.pharmacology2000.com/Central/sedhyp/shobj1.htm#Ethanol

That means some AEDs can have a higher level in the blood due to alcohol use. BUT The definitive phrase being: with chronic use ethanol causes induction of hepatic metabolizing enzymes and can, in this case, increase clearance of many drugs (e.g. phenytoin (Dilantin)

That means if you chronically use alcohol there is less dilantin in your system. It would make sense that this could cause seizures. The effect may be the same in other AEDs, but who knows.


Good list of AED categories and how they work:
http://www.healthystock.net/category/anticonvulsants.shtml

 

[Soniag]

i read in my medication leaflet that drinking will affect you more than normal, it didn't say it will cause seizures. i don't take any risks though and very rarely drink any alchohol. i'm also not allowed to drink grapefruit juice as that can cause me to have seizures

 

[CathyAnn31]

I drink just fine, no issues except for the occasional stomach upset the next day. No seizures.

I take 150mg of Lamictal.

 

[Maidenminx]

I was told by my neuro no more than one standard drink. I assume he meant per day, which is the aussie guide line for women anyway. I had 3 the other night and had the hangover from hell the next day. The impression I was given is that anything that is considered a drug is to be avoided. He seemed more worried about the idea of cold and flu tablets than alcohol though. I'm also not supposed to have to much caffeine either.