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.
Can Alcohol Trigger Seizures?
Independent predictors for the occurrence of alcohol-related seizures within the last 12 months in patients with epilepsy. Prior to the interview, each participant was educated on the scientific background and purpose of the study. Thereby, we attempted to increase subjects’ receptivity to the questions and avoid patients answering the questions in a more socially acceptable way. In several test-interviews, patients were intimidated when being asked about nicotine, alcohol, and illicit drug intake in front of their companions. Therefore, all interviews were held in a separate study room where only the interviewer and the patient were present. To ensure a standard and informal interview situation all patients were interviewed by the same person (MiHa) who was not one of the treating physicians at the Epilepsy Outpatient Clinic.
A heathcare provider can assess whether light or moderate alcohol drinking is safe. Alcohol-related seizures can happen when people are acutely intoxicated. It can also occur when an alcoholic suddenly stops drinking and experiences alcohol withdrawal. 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. Most of these antiepileptic medications also have side effects that mimic those of alcohol.
Long-term alcohol consumption and risk of epilepsy
We addressed this by focusing only on alcohol-related seizures that had occurred within the last 12 months. Details were only recorded on those alcohol-related seizures that subjects were able to remember the best. 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. Human and animal data have shown that acute alcohol intake has a biphasic effect on the central nervous system (CNS). Initially, the inhibitory gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic effect of alcohol exerts CNS depressant and anticonvulsant properties (4, 5). In the post-alcohol state, however, when alcohol blood levels decline, neuronal excitability is increased epilepsy and alcohol which may facilitate the occurrence of seizures in patients with epilepsy (6, 7).
Alcohol withdrawal syndrome is a condition that occurs after an abrupt stopping of heavy drinking in people with alcohol use disorders (AUD). Based on surveys of volume and frequency of consumption, approximately 10 to 20 percent of the adult population (over age 10) “drink heavily.” Approximately 10 percent of this population will have seizures. Another 4.5 percent of this population will be diagnosed with epilepsy by the age of 80. Symptoms are generally mild during the first 12–24 hours of withdrawal but increase in intensity around the third day without alcohol. Tell the person you’ll help them find the right treatment program for alcohol abuse.
- Epilepsy South Central Ontario serves approximately 40,000 people living with epilepsy in Halton, Peel, Hamilton, Brantford, Haldimand/Norfolk, Kitchener/Waterloo, Guelph, Cambridge, and surrounding areas.
- With alcohol use disorder (AUD), GABA responses just never return to normal.
- Many people with epilepsy have heard that alcohol consumption can change the blood levels of their AEDs.
- To simplify, alcohol relaxes your brain, which makes seizures less likely.
- Tell the person you’ll help them find the right treatment program for alcohol abuse.
- However, some medications are more likely than others to metabolize differently when alcohol is used.
- A typical alcohol withdrawal seizure is a tonic-clonic seizure (also called a grand-mal seizure).4 This episode involves a loss of consciousness accompanied by violent muscle spasms.
Antiepileptic drug monotherapy (OR 1.901) and physicians’ advice that a light alcohol intake is harmless (OR 4.102) were independent predictors for alcohol use within the last 12 months (Tables 2, 3). Out of the 204 patients who used alcohol, 147 (72%) were occasional or light alcohol users, 43 (21.1%) were moderate users and 14 subjects (6.9%) practiced heavier alcohol use. Nine subjects of the study population (2.9%) were AUDIT positive indicating hazardous and harmful alcohol use. The data collection on alcohol use was part of a research project systematically gathering information on nicotine, alcohol, and illicit drug use in epilepsy patients within the last 12 months. The data was collected by a standardized questionnaire (see Supplementary Material). Only subjects ≥18 years who had suffered from epilepsy for at least 1 year were included.
Alcohol and Seizure Risks
- Possible confounding variables that were included in the logistic regression model regarding the occurrence of alcohol-related seizures in patients with epilepsy within the last 12 months.
- Be sure to ask your doctor about the effects of alcohol on any medications you might be taking.
- Later however, when alcohol blood levels had declined, epileptiform EEG-activity was increased.
- The data was collected by a standardized questionnaire (see Supplementary Material).
- So, it’s important to be aware of the facts around epilepsy and alcohol.
- Since alcohol-induced seizures often repeat, consider this a medical emergency.
Call 911 and tell the operator you think the person is experiencing an alcohol seizure. The emergency operator will often direct you on further steps to take. With alcohol use disorder (AUD), GABA responses just never return to normal. The brain is always slightly sedated, and the body is always trying to return to normal.
Epileptic seizures
You could develop status epilepticus, which is multiple seizures, or prolonged seizures, and can lead to permanent brain damage or death. However, there have been reports that the risk of seizure increases in an alcohol-dependent person who misuses a sedative and takes nonsedative AEDs. Alcohol poisoning can lead to seizures, but these may not result from the alcohol intake itself. Lower blood sugar or head trauma caused by a sudden fall could be the underlying cause. However, withdrawal symptoms accompanying delirium tremens do not need to be present when a person experiences a seizure. 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.
How to Spot an Alcohol-Induced Seizure
The CMA suggests patients with alcohol dependence, including alcohol withdrawal seizures, should not be allowed to drive any type of motor vehicle. If a patient wishes to regain their licence, s/he must complete a recognized rehabilitation program for substance dependence and remain sober and and seizure-free for 12 months. People who drink a lot of alcohol for an extended period can develop permanent changes in their brains, and removing alcohol can lead to withdrawal symptoms. Seizures, and a severe condition called delirium tremens, are possible complications of alcohol withdrawal.
Medication-Assisted Treatment
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. A double-blinded, randomized, interventional study on 52 subjects with epilepsy demonstrated that a social alcohol intake over a 4-month-period did not increase seizure frequencies (2).
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.