Alcohol Use and Alcohol-Related Seizures in Patients With Epilepsy

Alcohol withdrawal can be dangerous for many reasons, but seizures and the possible development of delirium tremens increase the risk of severe complications or even death. Alcohol enhances GABA’s inhibitory effects, which can lead to temporary sedation and decreased neuronal excitability. However, this effect is counteracted when alcohol is withdrawn, which may lead to a hyper-excitable state, increasing the risk of seizures (National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 2023). For people with epilepsy, alcohol use disorders can be particularly risky. If you or someone you love has epilepsy and is struggling with alcohol use, help is available.

Causes & Risk Factors

Consuming alcohol in large quantities for extended periods seems to increase seizure frequency and might increase your risk of SUDEP. In a 2020 study, research found that the risk of SUDEP was twice as high in people with a history of alcohol dependence or substance misuse disorder. SUDEP is the sudden and unexpected death of a person with epilepsy who is otherwise healthy without a known cause. The risk in people with epilepsy is roughly 1 in 1,000 people per year. Even people who do not have epilepsy can have a seizure after taking recreational drugs.

Prevention

Finally, the present study population was exclusively recruited at a tertiary care epilepsy center where usually patients with more severe variants of the disease are treated. This indicates a potential selection bias and our results may not be generalized to all epilepsy patients without restrictions. Ninety-five patients (30.7%) were alcohol-experienced but had been abstinent in the last year.

• Alcohol can interact with antiepileptic medications, potentially affecting their effectiveness.
• The alcohol detox timeline and the withdrawal treatment approach will depend on the symptoms’ severity.
• People with epilepsy who drink alcohol may also be less likely to adhere to their medication schedule.
• The Recovery Village Columbus offers a 5–10 day medical alcohol detox program that ensures seizures are quickly detected and treated during withdrawal.
• However, these seizures may differ in physiology from true epileptic seizures.

Take Your Medication as Prescribed

Only 2.9% of our interviewed study subjects were AUDIT positive indicating hazardous and harmful alcohol intake. By contrast, data from the general adult German population showed that a proportion of 19.7% is AUDIT positive (9). Yet, there is currently little knowledge on the alcohol-drinking behavior of epilepsy patients. In the 1940s, William G. Lennox comprehensively analyzed alcohol consumption and the occurrence of alcohol-related seizures in 1,254 subjects with epilepsy (1). However, only about 30% of patients used alcohol, thus excluding 70% from any analysis of potential alcohol-related effects on the disease. Apart from this, there is little research on the occurrence of alcohol-related seizures in patients with epilepsy.

Identifying the Risks: When Alcohol and Epilepsy Collide

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. It’s also important to understand that quitting alcohol after a period of alcohol abuse or misuse may be harder for people diagnosed with epilepsy than it is for those without it. People with epilepsy may have a higher risk of withdrawal seizures than others. 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. Before treating epilepsy, a person may need to get their substance use under control with anticonvulsants.

Alcohol can also trigger seizures by changing your blood levels of AEDs and other medications. Finally, alcohol can also negatively affect your sleep, contributing to can alcohol trigger epileptic seizures potential seizures. Alcohol can have both short-term and long-term effects on individuals with epilepsy. Short-term risks include alcohol withdrawal seizures, which can occur when a person reduces or stops heavy drinking, causing a sudden release of excitatory neurotransmitters in the brain. Long-term alcohol misuse can lead to chronic neurological damage, increasing the likelihood of seizure disorders (CDC, 2022).

• This means a person will become intoxicated faster than they used to before they were on the medication.
• This week’s blog looks at how you can stay safe and looks at how some anti-epileptic medication doesn’t mix well with alcohol.
• Seizures often seem to develop in the hours after you stop consuming alcohol.
• NICE recommends that Epidyolex is only used to treat the conditions above if two other ASM have been tried and they have not controlled the seizures.
• Although epileptic seizures can occur randomly and without warning, many people find that their seizures are caused by specific triggers.

Also, give your brain some time to switch off after watching television and switch off electronic devices an hour before you go to bed. High concentrations of caffeine can be found in many energy or fizzy drinks, caffeine shots and pills, and even over-the-counter cold and flu remedies. As each person reacts differently to each drug, there is no way of knowing in advance if a particular drug is ‘safe’. Keep a tab on how many drinks you have, write it down, or buddy up with a friend who will keep an eye on how much you drink. This section collects any data citations, data availability statements, or supplementary materials included in this article. Stay informed with the latest health tips, expert advice, and inspiring stories.