However, when a person suddenly quits drinking alcohol after this extended period of heavy drinking, a condition known as ‘alcohol withdrawal’ occurs. Those with an underlying health risk for seizures, a history of diabetes or who have experienced alcohol withdrawal seizures are most at risk. If you or a loved one has a history of seizures or alcohol withdrawal, learning about the link between drinking and seizures is important. Although most people with alcohol-linked seizures experience them during withdrawal, others can get them while drinking heavily. A 2017 review found that a history of alcohol misuse increased the risk of post-traumatic epilepsy in people with traumatic brain injury. The authors report that over 90% of alcohol withdrawal seizures occur within 48 hours after the last drink.
Alcohol as a seizure trigger
When alcohol is gone, however, these receptors go from over-stimulated to temporarily under-stimulated as they try to adjust to normal. Alcohol poisoning can also lead to slow or absent breathing, reducing the amount of oxygen in the brain, a condition called hypoxia. Seizure medicine can also interact with alcohol, making its effect even greater.
According to the Epilepsy Foundation, some studies have linked chronic alcohol misuse to the development of epilepsy. Alcohol may negatively affect sleep, and sleep disruptions may trigger seizures. Before taking your medications, it’s a good idea to check with your doctor or your pharmacist to see if it’s safe to mix with alcohol.
Alcohol and risk of SUDEP in a person with epilepsy
For individuals managing seizures, the question of alcohol consumption is complex, without a simple yes or no answer. Mixing alcoholic drinks and seizure medicine could have harmful effects. Withdrawal seizures can happen any time from 6 to 72 hours after you have stopped drinking.
Alcohol and seizure medicine
While these seizures may not be fatal, injuries can arise, especially if the individual experiencing the seizure is unable to prevent themselves from hurting their head on unexpected objects, which could result in permanent brain damage. This effectively results in seizures and may occur until the GABA receptors return to their normal levels. A 2018 review found that of 204 individuals who consumed alcohol throughout the span of 12 months, about 18% were discovered to have suffered worsened seizures (Yetman, 2024). Alcohol effectively acts as a trigger for epilepsy through the effects it appears to have on the brain. Because the body’s glucose levels are very low, a seizure becomes increasingly likely to occur; most occur 12 hours after the last drink. This fall in blood sugar levels, also known as hypoglycemia, happens at the same time as a hangover, leading people to believe hangovers cause seizures.
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Avoiding binge drinking entirely is advised, as this significantly increases seizure risk. There are no universal guidelines regarding alcohol consumption for people with epilepsy, as individual responses differ. When alcohol is abruptly removed, the brain becomes hyperexcitable, leading to withdrawal seizures.
Combining alcohol with ASMs can reduce the medication’s ability to control seizures, increasing the risk of breakthrough seizures. Alcohol can can you drink alcohol if you have seizures significantly interfere with anti-seizure medications (ASMs), potentially compromising their effectiveness and increasing health risks. While drinking alcohol, it generally acts as a depressant on the central nervous system, which might initially seem to reduce brain excitability.
The amount of alcohol intake before alcohol-related seizures was at least 7 standard drinks, or the equivalent of 1.4 liters of beer or 700 milliliters of wine. This article explores how alcohol affects people with epilepsy and provides recommendations for how much alcohol is best to consume. Doctors often warn people who have epilepsy to avoid alcohol or to only drink in moderation. Most of these medications lower your alcohol tolerance, causing you to become intoxicated or feel the effects of alcohol more quickly or severely. Symptoms are generally mild during the first 12–24 hours of withdrawal but increase in intensity around the third day without alcohol.
Long-term alcohol consumption and risk of epilepsy
Most health experts recommend that people with epilepsy avoid consuming large amounts of alcohol. Because of the risk of seizures and other serious symptoms, detoxing from alcohol should only be attempted with medical support. These changes can promote seizure activity in people with and without epilepsy during periods of alcohol withdrawal.
Is It Safe to Drink Alcohol if You Have Epilepsy?
- As a result, you may feel the effects of alcohol and get drunk more quickly.
- Common triggers include lack of sleep, stress, alcohol, and not taking their prescribed anti-seizure medication (ASM).
- Although most people with alcohol-linked seizures experience them during withdrawal, others can get them while drinking heavily.
- Seizures related to alcohol most commonly occur during withdrawal, typically between 6 and 72 hours after drinking has stopped.
Certain ASMs, particularly benzodiazepines like clonazepam, lorazepam, and diazepam, should generally not be mixed with alcohol at all. EpilepsyDisease.com does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always consult your doctor about your medical conditions. They can suggest a treatment plan or refer you to another health professional. If you are struggling with alcohol misuse, talk to your doctor. A majority consumed alcohol within the past year.
Avoid driving while drinking and taking seizure medicine. This means if you have had a seizure due to binge drinking, you could start having them even when you are sober.1 Research also shows that long-term alcohol abuse increases your chance of developing epilepsy. Another study examined 300 people with epilepsy.
It’s important to always talk with your doctor about whether it’s safe to consume alcohol with your medication. The condition may initially cause minor symptoms such as anxiety, headache, tremors, stomach discomfort, and insomnia.
Alcohol and Seizure Risks
Medical cannabis is a medicine used to treat a variety of symptoms. Learning more about your own epilepsy and treatment means you can make informed choices about your lifestyle. Visit the NHS and drinkaware websites for more advice and support. Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is rare and is when someone who has epilepsy dies suddenly and no other cause of death can be found.
- Another study examined 300 people with epilepsy.
- For people with epilepsy, alcohol may interact with epilepsy medications and worsen their side effects or make the medications less effective in preventing seizures.
- Seizures often occur during delirium tremens but are not always a symptom of this condition.
- Alcohol, drugs, and epilepsy.
Your risk of developing seizures seems to increase with an increasing amount of alcohol. According to the Epilepsy Society, consuming alcohol may make your epileptic medications less effective and may make the side effects of your medications worse. Prolonged drinking can lead to compensatory changes in your brain, such as the down-regulation of GABA receptors and increased expression of NMDA receptors. In almost all cases, seizures occurred within 12 hours of stopping alcohol consumption. People with a history of alcohol misuse seem to have a greater risk of developing sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) than people with epilepsy with no history. Consuming alcohol is a common seizure trigger for people with epilepsy.
For some people, certain situations can trigger (set off) a seizure. You should never stop taking your prescribed ASM without talking to your specialist first as this could cause more seizures or more severe seizures. They also recommend that doctors check every six months to see if Epidyolex is working to control or reduce seizures and stop prescribing it if it is not. 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.
Epilepsy and Alcohol: Triggers and Safe Drinking
A report from 2021 also found that alcohol-related deaths were five times more likely in people with epilepsy than those without the condition. Though alcohol can trigger seizures, they are more often linked to withdrawal from alcohol if your body has developed a tolerance for it and dependency on it. Delirium tremens is the most severe form of alcohol withdrawal and affects about 2% of people with alcohol use disorder. People who drink heavily for an extended period may experience seizures if they stop using alcohol, even for a brief time. 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. Alcohol can also trigger seizures if you have epilepsy and often interacts poorly with anti-seizure medications.
Alcohol withdrawal syndrome is a condition that occurs after someone suddenly stops drinking alcohol after drinking heavily. Research has found that the risk of epilepsy increases as alcohol consumption increases. Drinking water in between alcoholic drinks can help reduce the chances of a hangover, but will not prevent seizures from occurring. It is claimed, however, that the act of drinking does not directly cause these seizures, but rather the amount of alcohol ingested and how long the person has been drinking for. Along with getting intoxicated quickly, the side effects of such medications, such as dizziness and drowsiness, may be made worse by alcohol; epilepsy treatments can increase a person’s sensitivity to alcohol’s effects (Schachter, n.d.). Since alcohol heightens GABA’s calming effects, the body remains in a state of relaxation; however, prolonged heavy drinking disrupts the balance between GABA and glutamine.
Similar to the act of drinking, a hangover does not directly cause a seizure, but the effects alcohol has on an individual’s glucose levels do. Consuming considerable amounts of alcohol over the course of a few years has been linked to an increased risk of developing epilepsy. The risk in people with epilepsy is roughly 1 in 1,000 people per year.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.In another 2020 study, researchers found that people with epilepsy were more 5 times more likely to die from alcohol-related causes than people without epilepsy. The Recovery Village Columbus offers a 5–10 day medical alcohol detox program that ensures seizures are quickly detected and treated during withdrawal.