Have you found any alcohol that doesn't provoke seizures or do you just avoid it?

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I'm meeting a close friend tomorrow for the first time in the year. She only knew me pre-whatever-the-heck-is-wrong-with-me*, when I could drink alcohol like it was water. I am not planning on getting black-out drunk, I don't plan on getting remotely "tipsy" but I would like to just have one drink as a sort of celebration, you know?

I haven't been drinking "properly" in about 2 months. I've only had a beer here and there on two separate occasions, but I found I still get myoclonic jerks the next day, and I think that's due to the fact that I went so long without drinking alcohol and then having one beer here and there is almost worse than completely indulging, if that makes any sense. It's like.. back when I was university, I could have tons of vodka and wake up the next day scot-free. Then other times I could only have 2 bottles of beer and get myoclonic jerks the next day. It's annoying, because you just never know.

I guess what I wanted to say is.. Have any of you found a beer/spirit/any kind of alcohol that is less "demanding" on your health? Would just one glass of white wine have bad effects? I realise every one is different and stuff and maybe this is a futile question.. Man.. I dunno..

I'm thinking I probably will just avoid drinking alcohol to be honest. Are there any good alternatives? Any nice-tasting drinks that I could order that don't have alcohol in them? Any help appreciated!

*Doctor still hasn't diagnosed me yet. He said it's likely I have JME, but doesn't know for sure until I get an EEG. I get myoclonic jerks when sleep deprived, after alcohol abuse, etc. Currently taking small vitamin d & magnesium supplements to see if they help the issues and haven't notice any significant improvement but I think that's because it's a very low dosage. I haven't had a seizure that I'm aware of but I've woken up with a bruised tongue before. Writing here bc myoclonic jerks seem to be frequently related to epilepsy and there's not many other places where I can ask people about myoclonus.
 
Alcohol is alcohol (chemically speaking). The differences between this beer or that beer, wine or spirit is largely due to ingredients aside from the alcohol (sugars, etc.).

I don't have epilepsy or seizures (my wife does), but I can't drink alcohol like I could in my youth anymore. When I was college aged, I could drink irresponsibly and hardly suffer any hangover effects.

These days, if I have two drinks over the course of a day, it affects my sleep that night and I wake the next morning feeling it (slightly, but noticably). I think the body just changes in it's ability to process alcohol as you age.
 
It can be different for everyone in terms of what's triggering. But if you've found that even small amounts of alcohol seem to cause the myoclonic jerks, then it's a good idea to play it safe and not go there. You could try some of the alcohol-free beers. Or if you're at a place with a good bar, they should be able to offer a variety "mocktails" -- usually combos of spritzers/soda and fruit juice. Tonic water and grapefruit juice is tasty...

You might find it helpful to keep a seizure/symptom journal if you don't already -- it might help you identify triggers other than alcohol that might be playing a role, things like fatigue or dehydration. See http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f22/proactive-prescription-epilepsy-1254/ for good tips about this:
 
I've been "self medicating" mild temporal lobe epilepsy for 7 years with low alcohol beer. In the end I couldn't do it anymore.

I never had a grand mal seizure no matter what I've done.

If you're like me, then you could probably drink beer with around 3-4% alcohol, and keep everything floating. But it is just a coping strategy. There is nothing good about it. And people around you will suffer.

If you feel OK with it and you take responsibility for what you do, then do what you want to do. But if you want to get away from yourself and alcohol is what you use. Then I think you should try to learn new strategies. working strategies that is. non working does not solve anything.

It is just a drink. There is nothing to it. let it go.
 
I didn't drink for most of the past 3 years--I tried only twice in the first 2 years and went into full bodied myoclonic intense spasms, every muscle no matter how small firing wildly everywhere (looked like I was plugged into an outlet), vs. the more moderate myoclonic jerking episodes I used to have, so I stopped. I did have electrolyte problems then, and now that I have that fixed I can drink a little. What I have found helps is to keep your fluid balance steady--as soon as you drink you start flushing out sodium, and then fluids. To counteract that I eat salty foods when I drink, like salted nuts, and drink water alongside any alcoholic beverage. I also drink V8 before I go to bed (has salt and potassium), take magnesium, and drink a LOT of water. Those things in combination have helped me finally reintroduce alcohol without all the jerking problems. Sure I get more hungover than when I was young but I don't really have seizure problems. I'm not saying this will work for you but it works for me. When I first reintroduced drinking without adding back in the electrolytes alcohol makes you lose, I would have nighttime myoclonics.
 
I never tolerated alcohol even before I started having seizures and taking AEDs. With even a few sips of wine I would get a numb tongue, and odd tingling in my neck and upper arms. So after a few tries of this I gave up alcohol and have never tried it with the current medications I am on, three of which say to avoid alcohol.
 
lol I mean everyone's different...what works for you may not work for another...or definitely not work for another...in this case it doesn't work for me...

but yeah all the power to those of whom it does work for :)
 
I found a non alcoholic wine that actually kinda tastes good. The brand name is Ariel and they have a cabernet and a chardonnay. Works well for cooking too.
 
Oh yeah sometimes it's good for cooking...like when we throw some seasoned meat and veggies in the crockpot...we might throw some red wine in there...might
 
Pot roast is just not the same without some red wine. The alcohol cooks out anyway. It's not like you get hammered from eating pot roast. The problem is that, if I buy regular wine with every good intention of using it only for cooking, there is a tendency to "use up" that last little bit. Just so it won't go bad of course.
 
Same thing with things like beef stroganoff--I was making it wine free and it was so different I stopped making it!
 
I stopped too. Found that wine caused less physical problems than hard liquor but really and truly made me into a functional alcoholic. Usually ended up passing out rather than going to sleep.

My favorite method of eating my drinks was sliced turkey bacon soaked in tequila, then cooked with eggs, grits peppers and onions. Sometimes the butter would be "spiked" with another ingredient, but that's for another topic.

Still trying to find my sober drink of choice when going out. Right now I get water with a ton of limes, but I'm thinking something caffeinated to get on the same wavelength as my peers.
 
I stopped drinking when I first learned I was having seizures. I never drank a lot. I have now started drinking occasionally and haven't noticed that it has caused any problems.
 
My favorite method of eating my drinks was sliced turkey bacon soaked in tequila, then cooked with eggs, grits peppers and onions. Sometimes the butter would be "spiked" with another ingredient, but that's for another topic.

Still trying to find my sober drink of choice when going out. Right now I get water with a ton of limes, but I'm thinking something caffeinated to get on the same wavelength as my peers.
If you cooked the bacon enough that it wasn't oinking at you, then the tequila booze was all gone, just a residual flavor no alcohol. Of course cooking with other special herb ingredients is something I plan to try as soon as my gardening project gets up to speed (just seedlings now).

I can't handle caffeine either, in fact I think it's a bigger threat to me having a seizure that night than a glass of wine but that's my brain chemistry.
But that cuts out iced tea an such. So, my sober drink of choice is soda water with lime. It looks like a vodka/gin & tonic for all anyone else knows.
I kind of find it fun to watch other people getting wasted sometimes while I'm not. Especially when they are convinced that they look perfectly sober (as they stick a hot wing in their ear or something).
 
Read your post

Sounds like it's too risky to be drinking
 
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Like Bernard said, alcohol is alcohol and no matter what drink it comes in, it's all the same. There are different strengths so I'm sure you could find something not as strong, or drink a glass of water in between and be sure to eat. However, to me it sounds like a bad idea if you are getting myoclonic jerks the next day after only one or 2 beers and I wouldn't risk it if I were you. As for me, I'm able to drink without any probs besides the occasional headache the next day.

Not all alcohol cooks out. I was on an antibiotic that allowed NO alcohol, even food cooked with alcohol. I was bummed because I wanted to try a shrimp dish and had just bought the wine for the recipe. I had to wait 9 days and we had grilled shrimp in the meantime, lol. Of course it wasn't enough to get drunk from, but it still causes alcohol in the system.
 
I'm speaking for myself here, but I have never found alcohol to be a trigger for my seizures. It is possible that it caused my recent hospital stay, but I was having generalized seizures even without the alcohol involved. Since being put on medication, I have had several drinks here and there (though not necessarily as much as I normally drink) and have had no issues.

In your case, it sounds like it would be best to avoid alcohol given that it seems to be a trigger.
 
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