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Alcohol Induced Epilepsy Seizures: Risks and Recommendations

Alcohol and seizure medication may interact in ways that make it more likely that some people will have a seizure. For example, alcohol may reduce the levels of some anti-seizure medication (ASM) in your blood or alter their effectiveness in the brain. Speak to your doctor and read the leaflet in the packet for more information.

They can advise you on what is safe for you and if there could be interactions. Of course, it is lower risk – and better for your general health – to avoid alcohol altogether. If you have epilepsy and would like to drink alcohol, it’s best to speak with your physician about this first.

Alcohol consumption, unprovoked seizures, and epilepsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

This rapid intoxication can surprise a person and cause them embarrassment, stress, and anxiety — which can, in turn, trigger seizures. In one small study from 2018, people with epilepsy who reported seizures after drinking had consumed seven or more standard-sized drinks before their seizures occurred. Nearly all of the seizures occurred within 12 hours after they stopped drinking. Furthermore, seizures seemed particularly likely if the participants did not regularly drink that much alcohol. Fifteen out of 95 (15.8%) alcohol-experienced but now abstinent subjects had experienced alcohol-related seizures in the past.

Join the conversation today to share your experiences and connect with others on MyEpilepsyTeam. First, talk with your doctor about the risks, and read the leaflet inside your anti-epilepsy medication. If you experience epilepsy and alcohol an alcohol-related seizure, seek immediate medical attention. Professional help is also available for those struggling with alcohol addiction.

Study subjects passed through the domains of the questionnaire with an increasing social stigma degree. Delirium tremens is the most severe form of alcohol withdrawal and affects about 2% of people with alcohol use disorder. In this article, learn what alcohol does to the brain, how it can lead to seizures, and what you need to know about alcohol use if you already have a seizure disorder. When the person you love has recovered from the seizure, explain how treatment works. Outline how counseling combined with medications can ease chemical imbalances caused by addiction.

They may slow down central nervous system responses, make a person sleepy, or cause parts of the brain to work differently. If you research a medication and these symptoms show up, it’s likely that AED will lower your tolerance for alcohol, too. When seizures do happen as a result of alcohol, they occur within six to 72 hours after drinking. They do not generally happen while a person is drinking, or even within a few hours of stopping. For this reason, if you do choose to drink, it’s important that you pay attention to your seizure activity for up to three days afterward. Many people diagnosed with epilepsy have been told that alcohol and epilepsy should never mix because alcohol can trigger seizures.

In another interventional study on 14 patients with epilepsy and 10 healthy controls, acute moderate alcohol consumption initially suppressed epileptiform EEG-activity. Later however, when alcohol blood levels had declined, epileptiform EEG-activity was increased. Seizures occurred in some of those subjects and a rebound phenomenon was discussed (3). In addition to that, alcohol intake significantly suppresses REM sleep periods (30).

• Epilepsy is defined as a spectrum of disorders that involve the central nervous system (brain and spine).
• Alcohol and seizure medication may interact in ways that make it more likely that some people will have a seizure.
• But when people who drink a lot suddenly stop, their brain suddenly becomes much more active.
• Continuous data are presented as mean ± standard deviation (SD) or median where appropriate.
• Nearly all of the seizures occurred within 12 hours after they stopped drinking.
• As a consequence however, alcohol-related seizures may have also occurred after smaller amounts of alcohol intake or in other circumstances that were not taken into account in the present study.
• Physicians’ advice that “a light alcohol intake is harmless” was identified as an additional predictor for alcohol use.

How Dangerous are Alcohol Seizures?

To simplify, alcohol relaxes your brain, which makes seizures less likely. But when people who drink a lot suddenly stop, their brain suddenly becomes much more active. That can trigger a seizure – usually within 6-48 hours after stopping drinking. It’s best to seek medical advice before having any alcoholic beverage since each person is unique.

Epileptic seizures

Even if alcohol itself doesn’t trigger your or your loved one’s seizures, it’s important to understand whether your antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are compatible with alcohol. Withdrawing (stopping drinking) from alcohol causes people’s  brains to become more excitable. This means that some people who do not actually have epilepsy may also experience seizures when they stop drinking. This is especially true for alcoholics or people who often drink heavily.

Epilepsy and alcohol – an introduction

• Ultimately, everyone’s brain is different and responds to alcohol in different ways.
• Prior to the interview, each participant was educated on the scientific background and purpose of the study.
• Responses to enquiries contain information relating to the general principles of investigation and management of epilepsy.
• Taking recreational drugs increases the risk of seizures and of mental and physical health problems, which in turn may make seizures more likely.
• Human and animal data have shown that acute alcohol intake has a biphasic effect on the central nervous system (CNS).
• Yet, there is currently little knowledge on the alcohol-drinking behavior of epilepsy patients.

Together, you can address this issue properly and help the person build a happier and healthier life in recovery. On MyEpilepsyTeam, the social network and online support group for people with epilepsy and their loved ones, members have discussed alcohol, epilepsy, and seizure triggers. If you take an ASM, speak with your doctor about the risks of drinking alcohol.

In that group, the mean amount of alcohol intake prior to the seizures was 10.9 standard drinks. All of these patients stated that they had stopped alcohol consumption because of the experience of alcohol-related seizures. There seems to be no increased risk for epilepsy in persons who drink less than 50 grams (about two drinks) of alcohol daily.

Alcohol and risk of SUDEP in a person with epilepsy

Most of these medications lower your alcohol tolerance, causing you to become intoxicated or feel the effects of alcohol more quickly or severely. ASMs can make you more sensitive to the sedating effects of alcohol, leading you to feel drowsy or feel intoxicated more easily. Mixing ASMs and alcohol can also reduce the effectiveness of medication and/or increase side effects by affecting how the ASMs are metabolised, increasing the risk of seizure activity. The interaction of alcohol and ASMs makes driving more hazardous, even if you have consumed an amount within the legal limit, so you should avoid driving in these circumstances. The most direct way alcoholism causes seizures is during withdrawal, which is when someone with alcohol dependence stops drinking.