Alcohol-Induced Seizures: Can Drinking Cause Seizures?

Our program provides comprehensive follow-up care after medical detox to help maintain long-term sobriety. We are also an in-network provider for a range of insurance companies, including Cigna, BCBS and Humana. In severe cases, seizures can last more than five minutes or reoccur repeatedly; this is a dangerous condition called status epilepticus. Status epilepticus is a medical emergency and can lead to lasting, irreversible brain damage.

” You need to consider more factors than just the alcohol itself — especially your medications. Be sure to ask your doctor about the effects of alcohol on any medications you might be taking. Most of these antiepileptic medications also have side effects that mimic those of alcohol. 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. People diagnosed with alcohol-induced seizure disorders along with an alcohol use disorder should enter a residential rehab program.

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. Yes, alcohol can provoke seizures, particularly when consumed in large quantities or during withdrawal periods. The choice about whether to drink alcohol as someone with epilepsy goes beyond, “Does alcohol cause epileptic seizures?

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You are also likely to be dehydrated and may feel nauseous the next day not wanting to eat. Public health guidelines recommend drinking in moderation, which means no more than two units per day, or 14 units of alcohol per week. A diagnosis of epilepsy does not automatically mean you have to stop drinking alcohol. Independent predictors for alcohol consumption within the last 12 months. Alcohol consumption usually represents a taboo in the doctor-patient relationship and questions on the smoking status are answered more easily.

Seizure triggers: Alcohol

• Learning more about your own epilepsy and treatment means you can make informed choices about your lifestyle.
• Many recreational drugs including legal highs can affect brain chemistry potentially triggering a seizure.
• Prolonged drinking can lead to compensatory changes in your brain, such as the down-regulation of GABA receptors and increased expression of NMDA receptors.
• Limiting or eliminating caffeine or nicotine intake can decrease your risk of seizures if those are triggers for you.
• In a 2022 review of 8 studies, researchers found that the risk of epilepsy was 1.7 times higher (95% confidence intervals from 1.16 to 2.49) in people who consumed alcohol compared to non-drinkers.
• People with epilepsy generally should avoid working night shifts as this can be the cause of sleep problems which may increase seizures.
• Many different things can trigger seizures, and each person’s experiences are different.

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.

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Developing alcohol dependence means you drink enough to have withdrawal symptoms if you stop drinking. Seizures are a potential withdrawal symptom that can be prevented if you drink in moderation. In patients with generalized genetic epilepsy, seizures commonly manifest within 30 min after awakening. A transcranial magnetic stimulation study on patients with genetic generalized epilepsy demonstrated that motor cortex excitability was significantly increased in the early morning (24). However, other people with epilepsy find they can drink moderately without triggering a seizure.

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.

Medical

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.

Any references made to other organisations does not imply any endorsement by Epilepsy Society. If you have photosensitive epilepsy, work with your doctor to determine what specific frequencies of flashing lights or types of patterns cause seizures. Your doctor may use a test called an electroencephalogram (also called an EEG) to make the determination. Auras can be visual disturbances, odd physical sensations, or emotions that you have before your seizure. During a normal menstrual cycle, the body goes through changes in levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone.

• Failure to take antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) as prescribed is one of the most common seizure triggers.
• While alcohol itself typically doesn’t cause epilepsy, heavy drinking and chronic alcohol misuse can increase the risk of seizures.
• Sometimes, high-contrast geometric patterns can also trigger these types of seizures.
• Contact The Recovery Village Ridgefield to learn how we can help get you on the path to recovery.
• Drinking water in between alcoholic drinks can help reduce the chances of a hangover, but will not prevent seizures from occurring.

This rapid intoxication can surprise a person and cause them embarrassment, stress, and anxiety — which can, in turn, trigger seizures. 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 can alcohol trigger epileptic seizures blood levels decline, neuronal excitability is increased which may facilitate the occurrence of seizures in patients with epilepsy (6, 7).

Using hormonal treatments, such as certain hormonal birth control methods, can help prevent seizure triggers by altering the normal menstrual cycle. Your doctor may also adjust your AED dose or add AED medications at specific times during your menstrual cycle to help prevent seizures. Limiting or eliminating caffeine or nicotine intake can decrease your risk of seizures if those are triggers for you. Other drugs that trigger seizures, including recreational and illicit substances, should be avoided.

Related Conditions

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). 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).