Seizures caused by Low Blood Sugar

[christalle]

But...Would that be a cause for Epilepsy or the cause for a seizure? Are are we saying Epilepsy and seizures are one in the same, if multiple seizures have occurred?

If my sugar drops, I'm aware of it enough to eat something and bring my sugar back up...Thus, avoiding the seizure. In this case, am I avoiding Epilepsy or a seizure?

Sorry to be confusing...I'm just trying to understand.

[RobinN]

Yes it could be the only reason she is having seizures.
However, my daughter also has more difficulty around her time of the month. So it is also understood that she has not had the correct hormonal balance. We are working with a natural progesterone, to help out that imbalance.

The sugar imbalance has been a concern of mine from the beginning, and it has just now become clear to the doctors we have been dealing with. 2.5 yrs later.

There is something called reactive hypoglycemia, where the foods eaten can cause an extreme rapid drop in blood sugar. I am thinking that is what might have occurred with Rebecca's last seizure. She had a stuffed baked potato, and then did a dance show. Two hours after the potato she collapsed. Kind of like a cup of sugar to the system. Of course no doctors were present. Just my theory.

I am doing research on glucose, insulin, hormones etc.

[christalle]

She should be able to control them with the correct intake of sugar, right? That's works for me, but I know not everyone is the same. I always keep snacks with me in case my sugar drops. I can just eat a snack, so I can prevent having a seizure. Of course, I have enough time to do so, but I'm not sure if other people have time to eat something, prior to their seizure. I know they can be abrupt.

[RobinN]

She isn't aware of the feeling I guess. After the seizure she has loss of memory so there is no way I can figure out what occurs just prior. I am working with her on the types of foods she eats. However, if it is high simple carbs, breads, crackers, pretzels, cereal... it doesn't leave much room if she then has a food that is sugar related, or as I suggested a potato or banana. She would go into a free fall much quicker.

That is my understanding.

[joan]

2 or more seizures constitutes epilepsy. But what is causing the seizures? For you, it would seem sugar. IF you get your sugar under control maybe you will be seizure free. It may not be the only trigger but it may be a very important one.
good luck*
joan*

[SueDrew]

I do think low sugar is a reason for my seizures(2 so far). I just had video EEG and it will be a month before I see the neurologist for results...While in the hosp he kept me on Keppra and didn't want me to eat only the hosp meals ..wanted me to snack as I always do.....

If I did eat 3x a day and was as physically active as I usually am-keeping my metabolism reved up as usual who knows I might seive..but nothing of course happened in the hosp.

when my sugar gets low I don't always have a warning like I used to ..often I will blank out , staring and if given glucose tablets or juice ..."come right back". Would I have seized if no one was around to give me sugar? ...would the Keppra keep me from seizing? who knows...

still trying to figure things out here too

[RobinN]

But...Would that be a cause for Epilepsy or the cause for a seizure? Are are we saying Epilepsy and seizures are one in the same, if multiple seizures have occurred?

If my sugar drops, I'm aware of it enough to eat something and bring my sugar back up...Thus, avoiding the seizure. In this case, am I avoiding Epilepsy or a seizure?

Sorry to be confusing...I'm just trying to understand.

What is happening is that we are confused by the words used with this disorder. We are told that we are dealing with a disease called "Epilepsy", when what we really have are seizures of unknown reasons. The neurologists are treating the label, not the disorder that is causing the seizures. They are making a lot of money treating the label as a disease.

That is why it is my opinion that we need to head back to square one and use nature to heal. I do this with nutrition and we supplement where necessary for brain and body health. I hope once the body is back in balance the clean clear food will do it's job.

[christalle]

Thanks for better explaining. I learn something new on here every day!

I agree that natural methods are better for healing. I would like to eventually get off my meds, and only use natural methods to control my seizures.

[wife and mother]

That would explain why my first tonic-clonic was at 530 pm and I still ahdn't had a chance to eat yet. And the other 4 i had when I was asleep and could'n eat.

[wife and mother]

I told that to the hospital and my nero and they both just shoved carbamezapine down my thraot. Now when I stop them I always have auras even when I've eaten and they hurt now but never did before.

[RobinN]

It explains my daughters first seizure also. However, if she had continued eating as she was (I considered it healthy then) she would have eventually had a seizure at some point, or another medical problem. I am thankful in a way that the seizure was a wake up call for us. We just had to learn how to stabilize them with Neurofeedback, and clean up her teenage diet. (Still working on that one)

[RobinN]

The condition called hypoglycemia is literally translated as low blood sugar.Hypoglycemia occurs when blood sugar (or blood glucose) concentrations fallbelow a level necessary to properly support the body's need for energy and stability throughout its cells.

Carbohydrates are the main dietary source of the glucose that is manufacturedin the liver and absorbed into the bloodstream to fuel the body's cells andorgans. Glucose concentration is controlled by hormones, primarily insulin and glucagon. Glucose concentration is also controlled by epinephrine (adrenalin) and norepinephrine, as well as growth hormone. If these regulators are notworking properly, levels of blood sugar can become either excessive (as in hyperglycemia) or inadequate (as in hypoglycemia). If a person has a blood sugar level of 50 mg/dl or less, he or she is considered hypoglycemic, althoughglucose levels vary widely from one person to another.

Drug-induced hypoglycemia, a complication of diabetes, is the most commonly seen and most dangerous form of hypoglycemia. It occurs most often in diabetics who must inject insulin periodically to lower their blood sugar. While other diabetics are also vulnerable to low blood sugar episodes, they havea lower risk of a serious outcome than do insulin-dependent diabetics. Unless recognized and treated immediately, severe hypoglycemia in the insulin-dependent diabetic can lead to generalized convulsions followed by amnesia and unconsciousness. Death, though rare, is a possible outcome.

In insulin-dependent diabetics, hypoglycemia is known as an insulin reaction.

Ideopathic or reactive hypoglycemia (also called postprandial hypoglycemia) occurs when some people eat. A number of reasons for this reaction have been proposed, but no single cause has been identified. In some cases, this form ofhypoglycemia appears to be associated with malfunctions or diseases of the liver, pituitary, adrenals, liver, or pancreas. These conditions are unrelatedto diabetes.

http://www.faqs.org/health/topics/50/Hypoglycemia.html

[RobinN]

Q: Can low blood sugar trigger seizures?

Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) can induce epileptic-type seizures. This
condition can be caused by diet or by drugs such as insulin. This is
not really Epilepsy since it is not recurrent seizures that are due to
abnormal brain activity. Here the seizures are directly caused by the
blood sugar levels.

So... even though there have been two or more seizures, they are saying that this is not considered Epilepsy?
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science...e4d2baa3c997fb

How many people have this and don't even know it because the proper testing was never done.
Even Dr Blaylock says it is more prevalent than Neurologists are even aware of.

[skillefer]

You want to know funny (in an odd and twisted way...)? My maternal grandfather was diabetic, and in the end was on insulin. My mother has never been diagnosed, but when I described her reactions to high carb/sugar content foods and drinks, the doc said it sounded as though she was pre-diabetic. With me, I'm hypoglycemic. None of my neuros or docs have ever asked. They only asked if there was a history of seizures in my family. Now, I eat 6 times a day, and the only way I get a carb is if I eat a protein too. Nuts, yogurts, cheeses, they can all be had in individual serving sizes...and if you can't find it packaged that way, you can always do what I do and portion them our at the beginning of the week and put the dry things in those little plastic snack bags.

[RobinN]

Yes I am going to have to learn to teach her to eat in a new way.
But what gets me is that this is a known cause of seizures. What bothers me is that they only do a quick fasting test. This test showed nothing wrong. If it is a known cause, then why not make it required to do a glucose tolerance test. I would like to know what Rebecca's would be if she did the 4-5 hr test. That is typically what some teens are doing, and then they knock down a soda to tide them over.

There also is a connection with insulin and estrogen. I just haven't been able to put it into street language yet. So perhaps catamenial seizures are also connected many times to disregulation.

[RobinN]

50+ days seizure free, by monitoring nutrition.

For now, no high sugar fruits, no potatoes, keeping healthy protein and fats up. Monitoring slices of bread each day, and cereals.

We are seeing great results. Seizures are way way down from a year ago.

[Kansas Educator]

Wow, that is almost two months! What a payback for all the work you have been doing.

[LuvMyTwins]

Hypoglycemia most certainly can cause seizures. Unfortunately, it took my doctors 20+ years to figure that out (no, don't worry, I didn't stay with my originals). It took a doctor to think out of the box to really figure out what could be my seizure cause.

My seizures only happen at specific times----either upon waking or getting up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. So, I was tested for hypog. and found that YES it was a huge issue. Now, I have to have nuts and a carb right after my meds at night.

Nutrition and lifestyle are a huge part of the picture. I haven't had any fruit in months and, although I miss it, I've been a lot healthier. It's just veggies for me along with flax crackers and 1-2 slices of either gluten free bread or manna bread (unleavened bread).---LMT

[RobinN]

Just curious if that same doctor every has worked with you to figure out what was causeing the low blood sugar. Because that too is just a symptom of something else.
Is the liver congested?

Two months is a wonderful reward for the work that I have done. I agree. To come from 6 seizures a month to being seizure free for two months is great.

[LuvMyTwins]

Right now, we're in the process of trying to find out what causes the hypoglycemia. Now, I must say that my EEG is "abnormal," but my doctor still feels that the abnormality is caused by some deficiency.

Another item we found was low is seratonin---something that many with seizures have. Yet, if you add hypoglycemia to that the mix is not great at all.

Sam-E has been a great help on those days that I'm feeling a bit more tired than usual. Thus, no episodes.

This road is a terribly windy one to figure out. Yet, I always go back to the poem "The Road Not Taken" when I need a little inspiration. Yes, I could just take the meds and be a happy camper, but I want a healthier life! A lofty goal, but worth it.---LMT