Are Your Seizures Sometimes Set Off By Caffeine

I have tried to stop drinking coffee but I still have my usual two cups in the morning. I have seen no change. Ive been drinking coffee for over 35 years....
 
I thought I would put the NO coffee to the test. Like John-Forrest said "Feeling kind of wired. " And this is only day two :) . I hope to make it till next Monday to see how things go. Although I am slowly moving from Keppra to Lamictal at the same time.
 
also make note, a lot of meds are 75% caffiene to make them act faster.
 
A good substitute would be natural and raw cocoa; raw Hershey Powder would work too. Although that still has some caffeine, a fraction of what coffee has. Cocoa has a lot of phenylalamines (sp?) which are soothing to the nerves, said to have similar neural interactions to CBD in marijuana. My own experience is it definitely has a mellowing effect and some stimulation. I'm sort of gradually replacing the two, I mix half and half now. As far as tea goes, green tea is supposed to be better, though you may want to reduce the dose. There are all kinds of herbal teas that have stimulating qualities. Actually, a cup of hot water and brown sugar could mimic it, but then you're getting a sugar rush. Even just hot water may be part of it, it warms you up and stimulates.
 
I do like ginger tea. I will have to give that a try tomorrow. I have noticed I am more tired in the morning not getting that coffee kick, or it could be the Lamictal. Who knows eh !!
 
Caffeine probably triggers my seizures, but I have other disorders that can be helped by it and I believe the lack of stress caused by a decrease in those symptoms outweighs not drinking coffee. A trade off I have made is avoiding sugary drinks as those were much worse for me.
In short, I suppose it depends on how you take your caffeine and your personal tolerance for it.
 
Im one of the ones set off by caffeine and stimulants, im really sensitive to them. I ended up having to give up caffeine completely. No coffee sodas chocolate a lot of tylenol type drugs etc. if i encounter it at all guaranteed multiple grands.
 
Try Crio Bru

I know that caffeine sets off my seizures. Same for excess sugar. But I have found this stuff called Crio Bru that you brew like coffee but it is basically roasted ground up cocoa nibs. Supposedly the stimulant it has is called theobromine (related to caffeine but much more mellow). It seems to be fine for me. Not to mention that it is flipping yummy. (No, I don't work for them. I'm just a good customer.) You might give it a try.
 
Oh yeah fucking yeah.
For about two weeks I took around two weight loss pills a day......dont ask why (it was a low point in my life).
And the caffine ( that was the weight loss pills- they were pure caffene-) was basically taking away from my medication. Im not sure how else to put that. I was pushing out my siezure medication. Whenever I took them morning and night, It was like I wasnt even taking them at all. I would up in the hospital. Having about 7 seizures in one day. They had to take me to the hospital TWICE. put me on a calming medication. I was out of it so bad I didnt even remember that day but that my family was hovering around my bed in the hospital then I passed out again.
Yes, caffene hurts you. Dont over do it. Just alittle. Like I'm drinking right now a kickstart mountain dew. I dont drink crazy redbulls. just small energy drinks.
 
I tried some time ago to kick the coffee habit. My morning cup of java was my relaxing time and to kick start my day. After all my tests and being on Lamictal and Keppra every thing seem to be ok. I think coffee in moderation and how strong you like it might be the trigger that might send your brain into overdrive. I used to drink 6 or 7 cups of coffee per day. Being a compter tech, it kept my train of thought on the right track :). Not working any more I dŕink only 2 cups in the morning.

As for the Redbull high energy drinks I woud say you are looking for trouble. Too much caffine all at once. Then again everyone suffers from seizures differently.
 
Last edited:
Yes. Had a breakthrough seizure after I started drinking coffee, several cups a day. My Dilantin level at the time was in the therapeutic range, yet I had a full-blown grand mal seizure anyway. Stopped coffee, no more seizures. Now it's decaf only.
 
Yep, decaf for me too. And I agree with malibu1966 above that those "energy drinks" are seriously asking for trouble. They are a witch's brew of heavy caffeine, gobs of sugar plus a whole bunch of fake flavorings and colorings created in labs not nature.

My first ever seizure was in college when, being the typical college kid, I was living on junk food, getting minimal sleep, under huge amounts of pressure. Then that night I pulled an all nighter studying with a pot of espresso and a stack of chocolate bars and had a seizure in the early am when I tried to grab a nap before heading out to class.

No doctor ever told me that I might want to clean up diet and lifestyle habits. They just handed me the pills. I wish this info had been available to me back then.
 
Energy Drinks (Monster - Redbull) they affect me. I feel like I'm going to have a heart attack, and then I end up having a seizure. The 5 hour energy drinks, they do affect me sometimes. Coffee - I drink 1 half caffeine half decaf with 2 cream and 1 sugar in it and it seems to only trigger one when I haven't had enough sleep the night before.

Caffeine is weird...
 
Pills, pills, pills. I'm so sick of pills. [Channelling Eliza Doolittle] Oftentimes I'm convinced that half of modern medicine is geared toward enabling us to live in spite of our unhealthy lifestyles.
 
I have been off soda except when I go out for a few months now. the only reason I had a seizure was spent to long out in the yard after digging a trench with no breakfast. so it was self inflicted.

but caffeine addiction is fierce
 
arnie said:
In 30+ years I have found no connection between my seizures and anything. Caffeine, alcohol, stress, the phases of the moon, Republican or Democrat administration, sex (or lack thereof), anything.
Click to expand...
LOL!! <3
arnie said:
For me there is no connection between caffeine and seizures.
Click to expand...

Me either, I have lived caffiene free, and not, I see no difference.

George__ said:
Nope. Can have 4-6 cups and I'll be okay
Click to expand...

I drink anywhere from 2-4 cups a day. Some days I make 6, but my husband steals most of two of those cups.
 
I never found caffeine to cause my seizures at all. I ended up cutting back on my caffeine because of other health issues; there wasn't any change made by it. Just me being refractory played the biggest role in my seizures.
 
I just(5 weeks ago) broke a 1 pot+ per day coffee habit because it no longer kept me awake. I notice no difference in seizures although I do have more energy without the coffee/caffeine.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom