Can Sun Screen prevent seizures triggured from hot weather?

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I realized the other day that most of the seizures that I have had in the last several years while I was awake took place while it was very hot out. It might be wishful thinking but have there ever been any studies done on how much sun screen may prevent seizures that are caused by hot weather?
 
I don't think sun screen can prevent seizures. I know it can't prevent seizures.
 
Actually the answer is YES and NO and it all depends
on your complexion. However, I had to look all over in
my old bookmark section in AOL for this one and I found
it:

Eastern PA Newsletter - Epilepsy & Sunscreen & Medications

And in here on page 2 is of special interest:

WHAT ARE SUN-SENSITIZING DRUGS?

Sun-sensitizing drugs are medications that can increase the skin's susceptibility to
reddening and burning from the sun (or a tanning lamp). These drugs are also called
photosensitizing agents.
It is very important to read the label carefully before using a prescription or non-prescription
medication, paying particular attention to side effects such as photosensitivity.
Many prescription and non-prescription drugs contain photosensitizing agents that can cause
sunburn, blistering, hives, rash or other skin reactions.
Among agents that can cause a photo allergic or photo toxic reaction are sulfa drugs, known as
sulfonamides, and some antibiotics. Other agents that can cause sun sensitivity are: some antidepres-
sants (including tricyclic drugs and the presently popular herbal remedy St. John's wort); tranquiliz-
ers; birth-control pills; arthritis painkillers; oral diabetes medications; and drugs to treat allergies,
cancer, colds, high blood pressure, and heart rhythm problems. In addition, certain creams, lotions
and other skin preparations for acne and other conditions can cause photosensitivity.

THIS IS A PARTIAL LIST OF SUN-SENSITIZING DRUGS

Note: Brain's Bold emphasis are mine - which are commonly used
with people with Epilepsy.

•
Advil , ibuprofen (pain)
•
Bactril (bacterial infections)
•
Banana Boat Sport Sunblock (sunscreen)
•
Benadryl (allergies)
•
Benzoyl Peroxide (acne, skin problems)
•
Carbatrol (seizures)
•
Captopril (high blood pressure, congestive heart failure,
diabetic kidney disease)
•
Cardizem (angina, high blood pressure, abnormal heart
rhythm)
•
Chlorothiazide (high blood pressure, edema)
•
Clozapine,Clozaril-(schizophrenia, mental disorders)
•
DiaBeta (diabetes)
•
Dilantin (epilepsy)
•
Elavil (depression)
•
Estraderm Transdermal (menopause, osteoporosis)
•
Estradiol (menopause)
•
Estrogens, esterified (menopause, ovarian failure, abnormal
uterine bleeding, prostate cancer, breast cancer)
•
Feldene (pain)
•
Lamictal (partial epileptic seizures)
•
Lasix (high blood pressure, kidney failure)
•
Lisinopril (high blood pressure, congestive heart failure,
heart attack)
•
Lo/Ovral, progesterin, ethinyl estradiol (oral contraceptive)
•
Lopressor HCT (high blood pressure)
•
Mellaril, thioridazine (mental disorders)
•
Micronase (diabetes)
•
Motrin (pain)
•
Neutrogena T (psoriasis, eczema and other skin problems)
•
Oral contraeptives containing estgrogen
•
Pamelor, nortriptyline (depression)
•
Phenobarbital (convulsions, anxiety)
•
Phenytoin, Dilantin (seizures)
•
Relafen (pain)
•
Rynatuss (allergies)
•
Seldane (allergies)
•
Septra DS (bacterial infections)
•
Sunscreens with PABA esters and para-aminobenzoic acid
•
Tegretol Chewtabs (seizures, manic depression)
•
Tetracycline (bacterial infections)
•
Trazodone (depression)
•
Tylenol Allergy Sinus (allergies)
•
Valproic Acid, Depakene (seizures)
•
Vasotec, enalapril (high
blood pressure, congestive heart failure)
•
Voltaren (pain)
•
Xanax (anxiety)
•
Zestril, lisinopril (high blood pressure, congestive heart
failure, heart attack)
Click to expand...
 
Hi Brainy,

Wow..I wish I had known this over Spring Break. I was under an umbrella with partly-cloudy skies and we all got fried!! And I am usually really careful. I am on Lamictal and Hctz. Never knew this and I do not think either bottle has a warning on the bottle. Thank you for the info.!

Michelle

P.S. I'll email you later today!
Miss JAW JA! O.k. I don't sound quite like that! : ))
 
Hmmm

26 years of Dilantin and I don't ever remember hearing that before. Learn something new everyday.

Luckily, I have not had much trouble with sunburns either. I don't tan like I did as a kid, but I don't live at the swimming pool all summer either.
 
Uh Oh - Jawja (Georgia) is gonna get Birdy in here in a flash!

Georgiagirl88 said:
Hi Brainy,

Michelle

P.S. I'll email you later today!
Miss JAW JA! O.k. I don't sound quite like that! : ))
Click to expand...


Careful now Michelle, 'cuz Birdy will be flying in
here with Jawja on her mind! Ahhhh!

You should have see the CAVE thread - *laughs*

Take a peek - I know some of the postings got
lost when CWE upgraded to a new server -
but Jawja (Georgia) ...

This will refresh your memories and it's all my
fault I got her to get that blasted See Rock City
Birdhouse!

:roflmao:

(I actually had Sparrows that nested this year,
Yay me!)


PS: Birdy and I :hj: the thread - :roflmao:


CAVES
 
Special Note:

I should note that

ZONEGRAN / ZONISAMIDE should be on the list
because it is a Sulfa drug.

But it's not noted on the list and as its implied, it's
only a 'partial listing'.
 
I'm on Phenobarbital, and have been since I was 13. I did not realize this. :) Not that it really effects me too much. I'm blessed with a nice olive complexion. :)
 
Forward2007
Your seizures MAY NOT be from the sunscreen but from the AEDs you're on, combined with your perspiration from the HEAT.

Recently (last summer) I had my semi-annual appt with my neorologist and I mentioned that this extreme heat that we've been having recently is causing me to perspire more than usual and have more auras and post ictal feelings.

I found his response very interesting. He said that because of all the very hot weather we've been having recently and all the perspiation, 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 26 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'll keep you posted as to the results. Randy
diagnosed with epilepsy and Ulcerative Colitis in 1979
- current meds are:

275mg dilantin/day
120mg pheonobarb/day
3,000mg Mesasol/day
 
Actually I haven't been using sun screen all the time. In fact the few times that I did have seizures in hot weather the last few years I don't think I used sun screen at all. But I am aware that my meds make me more sensitive to the sun. That's why I want to call one of my Neurologists and possibly speed up getting off of Tegretol XR. I do know what you mean by feeling "drunk" when it gets hot out though.

Keep us posted on what they say about the test results.
 
Last edited:
RanMan said:
Forward2007
Your seizures MAY NOT be from the sunscreen but from the AEDs you're on, combined with your perspiration from the HEAT.

I found his response very interesting. He said that because of all the very hot weather we've been having recently and all the perspiation, 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.
Click to expand...

You're absolutely CORRECT!
(I put the emphasis in bold on your quote)

As soon as I can find it, I'll post it in here. I do
know from reading the forums elsewhere from
individuals who perspired easily naturally or a
result from medication(s); who experienced the
'drunkness state, confusion, or heat exhaustation'.

One posted the link to the article and I snatched
it. I don't know how I lost it.

Unfortunately, I don't perspire much, and I often have
to pour water on me to cool myself down. As for me,
I never had to use sunscreen in my life! I do get
:mad: because it takes me days to get a nice tan
and I don't get sunburned, and yet my label on the
bottle said (in the old days) "Stay Out Of Direct Sunlight"
(Dilantin / Phenytoin).

:?

It had no effect on me at all as with the other meds I
take. Even if I wasn't on meds, it took me forever to
get a blasted tan! I'm medium complexion, and when I
finally get a tan, it's natural. That's why some images
of me (photos) reveals me as very dark, whereas some
people believe it's 'altered' through some photo image
program when in fact is not.

I have oily skin; and my adoption record does indicate
(non-official) of Jewish Heritage and American Indian,
although there's more American Indian manifested in
me (bone structure, etc) - than the Jewish Heritage.
However the oddity is - none of them have blonde (blond
for male) hair or blue eyes, so where did that come from?
Does this make me an 'albino'?

:roflmao:

Oh wait - Albino would mean I would have PINK eyes!

:paperbag: :agree: :noevil:
 
I thought maybe it has also to do with us being more sensitive to dehydration?
I mean most of us react on fever, period, alchol and stress. So why not dehydration? I noticed that sense i started going to israel that even thou that i mostly feel better in this hot weather i also easier get drop attacks during the really hot days. So i resolved it with drinking huge amounts of water just to be on the safe side! and its help more or less.

Thats just a thought anyway
 
Mark Henderson, Science Correspondent

The Sunday Times (London)

The main chemical used in sun lotions to filter out ultraviolet light may be TOXIC, particularly when exposed to sunshine.

Octyl methoxycinnamate (OMC), which is present in 90 per cent of sunscreen brands, was found to kill mouse cells even at low doses in a study by Norwegian scientists.

It is not certain that the effects on mice are repeated in human beings, although the findings reported in New Scientist magazine suggest that human cells could be damaged if a sunscreen containing OMC penetrates the outer layer of dead skin and comes into contact with living tissue.

Terje Christensen, a biophysicist from the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority, near Oslo, said her research showed that sunscreens should be treated with caution, and used only when it was impractical to stay indoors or to shield the skin from the sun with clothes.

The chemical is used as a filter for the more harmful UVB light. In Dr Christensen's study, mouse tissue grown in culture was treated with a solution of OMC at five parts per million - a much lower concentration than in sunscreens. Half the cells treated with OMC died, compared with fewer than 10 per cent in a control experiment.

When researchers shone a lamp for two hours to simulate midday sunshine, more cells died. Dr Christensen suggested that the reaction between OMC and sunlight created an effect that was twice as toxic as the chemical alone.

The Cosmetic Toiletry and Perfumery Association, which represents sunscreen manufacturers in Britain, said that OMC "has been thoroughly tested for safety" and was approved by regulatory authorities in Europe and the US.
Click to expand...

Dr Mercola:
We ALL need sunshine to stay healthy. It is one of the essential ingredients for staying healthy. It is not the perniciously evil item that traditional medicine suggests that it is.

That does not mean that we should all go out and get sunburned. That should be avoided as it is likely to lead to an increase in skin cancer. However, prudent exposure to the sun, integrating the listening to your body concept, will not.

Adding sun screens is NOT a good way to limit your sun exposure. Staying out of the sun early on in the season and limiting your exposure until your system adjusts by increasing melanin pigmentation in your skin is.

Additionally, consuming many whole vegetables will increase antioxidant levels in the body which will also provide protection against any sun induced radiation damage.

So the bottom line is to avoid the sun screens. They are not necessary and will actually increase your risk of disease.
Click to expand...

www.mercola.com
Search sunscreen and he has a host of articles against the use of sunscreens

Being that you would reduce the amount of Vitamin D that your body receives, and Vit D is decreased with many of the anti seizure meds it seems that a limited amount of sunshine is needed. One needs to be careful I am sure as to the time of day.

Neene - have you considered that your electrolytes are out of balance when you are dehydrated?
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f22/low-electrolytes-1284/
 
I Feel so "ignorant" when im reading stuff here, i have not heard of half the things u talk about! My doctor never told me about any of this, not that iv seen my doctor more then 10 min a year for the last 5 years, there is a lot of patients so they dont have time really for longer appointments. Maybe with my new doc it will be better. I have read up a little bit on stuff before but thats mostly in books my mum bought when u got it.

Just like SUDP i never ever heard of it! And when i asked my parents about now they said that they knew about it but they did not wanne scare me! Im starting to wonder what more my parents have not told me to protect me!
 
Our doctor doesn't tell us either. What I have learned, I have found it through the University of Internet Research. One just needs to be careful as to what is taken as truth. I was told a lot of things by doctors that turned out to be false.

It is turning over every stone Nenne, and knowing when you have found a gem. Intuition helps quite a bit for me. I think women have a higher amount of that then men, but I can't say that for sure.
 
You are right i guess i need to sit down and really start to read trough things, i mean the only reason now why i started searching for a web-page about EP was the VNS, i wanted to read about real people that had it, not just those glossy leaflets i got. The leaflet was a bit to american for me :) (we call it that when everybody looks like they just came out of the beauty saloon) The swedish one i got was in cartoon and really strange with weird pics so i just decided that i think the net would be more helpful,

I think i was wrong :) im just even more confused with all this alternatives :)
 
I know it can be confusing at times, but just the thought that there are alternatives to brain surgery must be a bit of a relief.

To know that a veterinarian can eliminate seizures in his animals just from diet alone, was an incredible eye opener to me.
 
Yeah its good, im not keen on the tough of having somebody messing about in my head :) But i just now found out that i have been on ketogonic diet but it did not work at all for me. But my mum also said it was abit because i refused to eat it :)
 
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