does obesity increase chances of seizures?

[notime]

I didn't think of of this to ask my neurologist. Has anybody ever read or found a study about obesity and epilepsy? Such as obesity increasing chances of seziures in patients with epilepsy to occur more often?

I was 280 now I'm down to 262lbs for now. I'm still working on it. Just thought I'd ask anyway.

 

[AlohaBird]

I think that being generally anything other than in good health increases your chances of seizures. If the extra weight is significant enough to be impacting your overall health (might manifest as diabetes, heart problems, sleep apnea, etc.) then it is not good for your neurological health.

Also it matters *why* you have the excess weight. There could be an undiagnosed thyroid issue. Also many AEDs make putting on weight so easy and getting it off next to impossible.

Congrats on the progress!

 

[notime]

@AlohaBird well, I have hypothyroidism which is at normal levels (just had it checked) regardless. Lamictal doesn't cause this to me, I've been obese half of my life. I cut back what I eat, and still couldn't lose weight. I've been exercising each day and burning about 600 calories and cut back what I eat some which helped.

 

[AlohaBird]

@AlohaBird well, I have hypothyroidism which is at normal levels (just had it checked) regardless.

I'm sorry, I'm not sure what you mean here. Do you mean normal levels *for you* but still low or that you have your thyroid problem under control with medication which brings it up to normal?

Lamictal doesn't cause this to me, I've been obese half of my life. I cut back what I eat, and still couldn't lose weight. I've been exercising each day and burning about 600 calories and cut back what I eat some which helped.

l
I'm on Valproic Acid and weight gain is a very common side effect of this. I have heard that Lamictal can actually be the opposite but I've never taken it myself.

So, it sounds like your issues center around your thyroid. I would think that anything you can do to improve your thyroid health would have a positive cascade effect for your overall health.

 

[Cint]

I have hypothyroid, too, and I am within normal weight. I take Synthroid daily for it. However, hypothyroid does run in my family. My daughter has a bad case (Hashimoto) and takes a high does of synthroid. She has trouble with her weight and keeping it off. She also sees an endocrinologist. But, I am the only one in the family with a seizure disorder. It is the hormones for me that seem to spark the seizures. Keep the hormones in balance.

http://www.epilepsy.com/information/women/all-women/hormones-and-epilepsy

 

[valeriedl]

I've had epilepsy for about 12 years and my weight has fluctuated greatly through the years. I think I've been as low as about 130lbs and as high as around 180lbs. I've never noticed there being any change in the amount of seizures that I've had no matter how much I weighed.

A good bit of the time it was a med that I was on that resulted in the weight gain or loss. The meds that I'm on now don't seem to effect my weight, it's how much food I eat that does.

 

[seagull]

I would think overweight could cause problems everything you enjoy like ciggi cream cakes and double gin tonic bad for you.
You got exercise until half dead walk 3 miles a day until you crawling eat rabbit diet inhale only sea air no salt the only drink water be careful may have fluoride best get bottled water or yippi do carrot juice.
Make sure have early nights which proberly bc exercise nearly killed you.Then get up early start the grind again You find life grand when tuck into lettuce leaf