hot weather

[theresa]

Hi.
i am in the uk, and for us we have had extremely hot tempertures, my epilepsy has got worse, but my work is trying to make things hard. I have an appt with my neurologist on 4th sept.
I take tegretol R and keppra. Any suggestions. i was diagnosed 6 years ago, i have tonic clonic , atonic, myocloinc and absences.

theresa

[Bernard]

Hi Theresa, welcome to the forum.

Sorry to hear that your seizure activity is getting worse. You are taking a lot of anti-epileptic drugs right now, so I assume that you have been on the "cocktail tour" for a while.

I'd advise you to take whatever measures you can to stay cool as heat can be a seizure trigger. Do you spend a lot of time outdoors? A cool, wet towel around the back of neck can help cool you down.

There is a lot of info posted in this forum. Search around a bit and you may run across something which strikes a chord with you.

[theresa]

Hello

no i dont spend much time out door in the summer, as i also as a side effect of teg r i have sensitive eyes, iwear tinited prescription glasses.

Is there anything official stating that hhot weather effects epilepsy? I would help my case at work. i have been looking but so far nothing has jumped out at me

theresa

[Bernard]

Perspiration and medication

Alert on Overheating in People Taking Topamax

The following are some medicines can put you in danger of heatstroke:
- Mental health medicines

• Benzodiazepines such as clonazepam (brand name: Klonopin), diazepam (one brand name: Valium) and chlordiazepoxide (one brand name: Librium)
• Neuroleptics
• Tricyclic antidepressants

- Seizure medicines (anticonvulsants)

Heat Exhaustion and Heatstroke: What You Need To Know

[theresa]

think that will help in my case, also found some other info.

theresa

[Bernard]

OK. One other thing though -

anything official stating that hot weather effects epilepsy

"epilepsy" is not really well defined. By that I mean the word encompasses seizure disorders over a wide range of characteristics. Two people with epilepsy can have very different root causes, seizure triggers and sensitivities. Just as some people are photosensitive and others are not, the heat affects some people and not others. Everyone should keep a seizure diary to help identify their own personal triggers IMO.

[Nancy]

Isn't it really strange that I never found any triggers and I kept careful records? Despite my age and the fact that I had a total hysterectomy BEFORE developing epilepsy, took HRT, my seizures followed a catamenial pattern. Every neurologist I saw said this was completely impossible. Huh?

In the past two years I lost that great predictable pattern, my precious auras, everything I "needed" . At least now I haven't had a seizure. for 6 months

[theresa]

I do keepo a diary, but that not enough for them, trust me. They want it in black and white from either neurologist or some E organisation, as defined as a possible trigger.

[Bernard]

Can dance or nightclubs cause seizures?

The strobe or flashing lights, which may be part of the entertainment in nightclubs, can trigger seizures in people who are photosensitive. It should also be noted that people with epilepsy who are not photosensitive may also find the excessive heat and/or noise in clubs to be seizure triggers.

epilepsymatters.com

Be wary of a very hot shower—some people find heat to be a seizure trigger. Keep your bathroom well-ventilated.

Safety and Epilepsy

same info also attributed to Epilepsy Toronto 2005 ‘Safety & Epilepsy’ Epilepsy Matters,
Volume 1 (Issue 3) Fall 2000

SEIZURE TRIGGERS

Many factors can affect the excitability of brain neurons and increase the possibility of seizure activity. In susceptible individuals, seizures can be precipitated by the presence of certain factors referred to as triggers. Seizure triggers include low blood sugar, dehydration, fatigue, lack of sleep, stress, extreme heat or cold, depression, and flashing or flickering lights (Epilepsy Association 2002b; Epilepsy Foundation of Victoria 2002). Potentially sensitive individuals can have additional triggers consisting of food and environmental sensitivities.

http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:Wkcu04UPTsUJ:www.lef.org/protocols/prtcls-txt/t-prtcl-142.html+%22seizure+trigger%22+heat&hl=en&gl=us&ct =clnk&cd=25 (link doesn't work anymore)

Seizures triggered by hot water

Seizures triggered by exposure to hot water are rare and until recently most cases were reported from India where attacks occurred during ritual bathing which involves pouring hot water over the head from a jug. Hot baths have also been implicated. Partial seizures occur, which may generalize. Differential diagnosis includes startle events, syncope, and febrile seizures. Many cases have been self-limited and appear to represent situation-related seizures akin to benign febrile seizures (Satishchandra et al., 199 and while the outcome is often benign, some patients later develop more typical temporal lobe seizures. Some patients report pleasurable feelings with these events and self-induction has been reported. Initial treatment is by reducing the water temperature. More recent reports (Ioos et al., 2000; Bebek et al., 2001) report onset from infancy to adult life and spontaneous seizures in 62% of patients in whom onset was after infancy. Interictal EEG abnormalities have been recorded over temporal areas in half of patients. Imaging has reportedly been unremarkable.

Precipitating Stimuli for Reflex Seizures - includes bibliography of the cited references

[RanMan]

Hi everyone.
Re Heat and how it effects epilepsy,
Recently I had my semi-annual appt with my neorologist and I mentioned how the hot wether was causing me to lose my balance more, my gait was worse and my co-ordination was worse.
His reply to me I found extremely interesting.

He said that when the wether is very hot, it can have a negative effect on your meds and cause you to act like you're drunk because you lose so much of your medication though your perspiration (I sweat ALOT) bringing your blood syrum level down. If my medication level were to be increased, the meds could go toxic in my system causing a whole new set of problems. also increased because I also take meds for ulcerative colitis. Before he changes any of my meds he ordered a special type of blood test that most labs won't do because it's so expensive, "Blood Syrum Unbound Fraction" to see how much of my medication is being lost through perspiration. I'm not totally sure but I think he explained that it shows how much of the medication is actually in the blood and how much is being stored, that's the "unbound fraction". It's a very rare type of test and the tech. that took my blood has never seen this done before. In my 28 yrs. with epilepsy, I've never heard of this before and find it quite interesting. I always knew that you lost some of your medication though perspiration, but not that much, (maybe it's because I perspire more than most people, I also have "hyper hydrosis" which is extreme sweating)

Randy
diagnosed with epilepsy and Ulcerative Colitis in 1979
- current meds are:

275mg dilantin/day
120mg pheonobarb/day
3,000mg Mesasol/day

[brain]

Very interesting!
Neurologist down here says they see LESS Seizures
during the summer time down here than they
do during the Fall, Winter & Spring!

And I live in a tropical place!