Smoking and seizures.

[Itr786]

Hi,
I used to be a smoker (3 per day), but gave up afew years ago after being diagnosed with epilepsy (simple partial seizures) , but during my house renovation at the start of the year, and the stress of it all, I begun smoking again. I wouldn't call myself a chain smoker, maybe 3 a day. Now that I've moved into my house, I've decided enough was enough, and I need to pack in the horrible habit...

I bought myself some nicorette gums, and went COLD TURKEY, relying completely on the gums until my cravings disappear. Unfortunately I've begun having seizures, which at first wasn't a surprise, as I'm not (yet) in control of them with the meds I'm taking, but the amount I've had over the past 1-2 days is very different to how they normally come along, I've had about 8 over the past 36 hours, whereas normally I'd have a cluster of 2(ish) in a day, and then nothing for the following 4-5 weeks.

I'm questioning if it's down to the cigarettes and giving up like the way I have...

Anyone else had any such issues?..

 

[masterjen]

I certainly don't think going back to being a smoker is the answer, but the cold turkey bit may have been too much of an added stress on your system, given that you were already (understandably) stressed by the house renovation, associated expenses, arranging contractors, etc. etc. Perhaps, too, some chemical residue (eg. paint fumes even if no odor detected) could be a contributing factor so make sure to keep your house well-aired day and night for a few weeks.

I'm not a smoker, but a friend who smokes prefers the devices that look like cigarettes to get the nicotine, and he has been slowly reducing the nicotine content that way. Not making fun of you in the least but maybe like my friend part of the relaxing effect you received from smoking was having the cigarette in your mouth.

Also, how much nicotine is in the gum and how much are you chewing each day? It could be the gum is giving you more nicotine than the cigarettes were, and this is causing the trouble. But like I say, I've never smoked so I don't even know if this is possible. Just something I thought of to consider.

 

[Itr786]

If I did go back to smoking now, it would be with the intention of giving up (as strange as that sounds). I'm determined to give up, so will do one way or another, it's just the manner in which I go about it, I should have known better with going cold turkey.
I'm considering popping to the shop, and having one tonight, then stick to one per day for afew days, then once every other day, slowly get off it that way.

 

[masterjen]

Good luck, and I hope the seizures calm down.

 

[resaebiunne]

Personally I do not find that smoking triggers seizures, however suddenly stopping tobacco use when you regularly smoke could certainly be the trigger for a seizure. It's hard to tell. It depends on you personally. If you feel that stopping cold turkey is triggering seizures, you can always moderate your usage of tobacco by tapering down your tobacco usage or using nicotine patches.

 

[Zolt]

For me smoking relieves stress and anxiety and maybe helps control my weight, since i don't fluctuate much with my weight, unless if i'm dieting. Sometimes does holiday dinners can push the weight limit up. Well anyway, I enjoy having a smoke after a fine meal. Or with some beer.


If you look at the oldest Centurions, that can be documented, a lot of them smoked. The oldest lady to ever live Jeanne Calment lived till 122 and smoked all her life. She is also the one that outlived the person that made arrangements to pay her monthly for her house until she died, i think when she was like 103yrs old. Well he died before her.

Well anyway, the way i look at it, death is marked in your genes whether you smoke or not. Otherwise only smokers would get lung cancer. One of my coworkers recently passed away from lung cancer and he was a body builder, alway in the gym, never smoked in his life type dude.

I like George Burns remark when he reached 100, he said if he know smoking was going to make him live that long, he would of quit a long time ago. Doh!#@$

Here is an interesting site on centurian smokers:

http://www.forces.org/evidence/hamilton/other/oldest.htm

Zolt

iano: op:

 

[lindsayschu2]

I agree on the gene thing. I was reading an article on longevity--it was a big meta analysis study, and what they concluded was, whether or not you make it to 60 vs 80 depends a lot on how you live and your health choices--but once you have passed a certain age threshold (I think it was 80), many of those remaining are genetically blessed people who are very resistant to common diseases that cause death. So whether they smoke, eat bacon daily, don't exercise or whatever, they are very resistant to cancers, heart diseases and the like. The people in your link who lived long but smoked must have been in that category!

 

[AlohaBird]

Epigenetics is just as important as genetics. You have a genetic "hand of cards" that you are dealt, yes. But if a particular gene gets turned on or off is the part we can control if we choose to.

So, for example you have the gene for lung cancer but you never smoke and take good care of your health and live to a ripe old age. Or you could smoke and that gene you have gets flipped to the "on" position and you die of lung cancer.

But given that you can't (with current medical technology anyway) know ahead of time if you have been "blessed" in the genetic roll of the dice, if you smoke, by the time you find out you're not blessed, you're attached to an oxygen tank. The damage is done.

Those Surgeon General's warnings are on cigarette packages for a reason.

 

[AlohaBird]

Also, how much nicotine is in the gum and how much are you chewing each day? It could be the gum is giving you more nicotine than the cigarettes were, and this is causing the trouble.

But the whole discussion of the "merits" of smoking is not really what the OP asked about.
I think Jen could be onto something here. Also perhaps the body is metabolizing the nicotine coming in through the digestive system via the gum differently than it would the nicotine coming in via the lungs. Perhaps it interacts with AEDs?

 

[lindsayschu2]

I chew the gum like a fiend but don't smoke. I tried to quit the gum cold turkey a couple of years ago and had a really bad seizure (for me). At the time I was sure it was quitting--now, I'm not sure if it was that or something I ate the night before. But I do know quitting something you are physically addicted to is really hard on the system, and I looked it up at the time and several people had said they had withdrawal seizures from nicotine. Cigarettes and the gum are really different--cigarettes have all kinds of other things in them, and the gum has other byproducts, so who knows! Slow and steady!

 

[Philc]

I was a pack a day smoker for 24 years doing major cut back last Sunday 9/6/15 started nicotine vapor pipe 4 tokes a day , 2 cigs a day - one at 230pm & second at 830pm which has cut down my nicotine intake considerably.
With that has come increased partial seizures going into & during sleep being the worse.
I wake up in the morning in daze trying to catch up to reality bad stuff for sure.
Im going to stick at current nicotine level with hope that Left temporal adapts quickly then cut back further.


Phil-

 

[Nakamova]

Based on some of the different reactions to nicotine that folks have noted, it sounds like it might have anti-seizure properties for some and triggering properties for others. And as with many substances that affect the brain, making a significant change in usage/dose -- particularly if there's been long-term consumption -- can have unpredicatble effects on the brain.

I came across two interesting case histories where nicotine patches helped to control seizures: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1046/j.1528-1157.2003.58102.x-i1/pdf and http://www.wndu.com/mmm/headlines/N...s-seizures-for-5-year-old-girl-285652591.html These were situations where the patient had a very particular kind of genetic epilepsy related to a specific mutation in their nicotinic acid receptors. Perhaps in the future there will be a way to analyze each and every one of us to determine specific genetic or physiological issues that play a role in our seizures, and then ave a our treatments customized accordingly.