@iamheal101
Good afternoon,
My answer to your question would be who knows.
Some doctors say smoking won’t increase seizures yet there are statistics that smokers are 4 times more likely to have have a seizure. I cant speak as to the validity of either.
Smoking has been proven to be harmful to every organ system including changing electrical activity in the brain which is the basis for seizures so I believe it may be possible that not smoking may lower the seizure threshold although I don’t know if it would lower it to the point of actually causing seizure activity. I have read some smokers saying that when they stop smoking they have a seizure. An excellent question, just wish I knew the answer. I am afraid it’s going to be a long time before there’s a definitive answer.
As far as alcohol is concerned I know a lot of people with epilepsy who indulge in spirits. The main reason many doctors suggest not to partake if you have epilepsy is probably due to increased side effects from the medication. The alcohol can intensify certain side effects.
Alcohol is a poison to our bodies and our body goes into priority mode to remove it as soon as it is detected.
Seizures are generally caused by alcohol poisoning from binge drinking hours to a couple of days after a person stops drinking. A major reason not to drink heavily is the possibility of Convulsive Status Epilepticus a life threatening emergency of continuous seizure activity.
My own personal belief is that if people would abstain from both they would probably be better off.
So @iamheal101 would you like to share how much you smoke & drink?
Have you been diagnosed with Epilepsy?
If so do you know your diagnosis? Do you know what type seizures you have? Are you on seizure medication?
Bottoms up & take care,
Jake
I found an article from professor sanjay kumar from florida state university of medicine that he has come across something promising for prevention of epileptic seizures it is an amino acid d-serine,You might want to look it up and do some research on it.Sounds really promising.Let me know what you think of it after you read what he has to say.
My daughter Has Seizures was diagnosed with epilepsy.. But that's all no meds just hey you have seizures. Any insight on where to go next she is 17 never had seizures, til she started her periods she has a period she has a seizure every time. Put on birth control seemed to work for the last 3 years and then Friday the 11 of march 2022. Had a seizure, I feel like I'm back to square 1. Please any help would be greatly appreciated
My daughter Has Seizures was diagnosed with epilepsy.. But that's all no meds just hey you have seizures. Any insight on where to go next she is 17 never had seizures, til she started her periods she has a period she has a seizure every time. Put on birth control seemed to work for the last 3 years and then Friday the 11 of march 2022. Had a seizure, I feel like I'm back to square 1. Please any help would be greatly appreciated
Hello @hoochinmama and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I am sure this must be very concerning for you. It was great that you noticed her menstrual cycle as a trigger for seizures. Can you confirm if your daughter diagnosed with Catamenial Epilepsy specifically?
For Catamenial Epilepsy, birth control can help due to the progesterone. It may be the case that she needs a different type of birth control due to her changing hormonal needs. Have you considered revisiting this as a starting point to see if a change in dosage would be beneficial?
Hello @hoochinmama and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I am sure this must be very concerning for you. It was great that you noticed her menstrual cycle as a trigger for seizures. Can you confirm if your daughter diagnosed with Catamenial Epilepsy specifically?
For Catamenial Epilepsy, birth control can help due to the progesterone. It may be the case that she needs a different type of birth control due to her changing hormonal needs. Have you considered revisiting this as a starting point to see if a change in dosage would be beneficial?
Might be worth also monitoring her condition with an app. There are many free apps on the App Store and Google Play Store. One of the best rated is Epsy, (https://www.epsyhealth.com/), where you can log all her meds, seizures, side effects, and so on. The info shows up into clear insights, to help with possibly finding 'patterns' - you can also connect the app with her neurologist. They can then also see overviews of her condition since the last appointment.
No she's never aware when its coming and she gets so sick after like throwing up for 12-16 hours and she cant remember simple stuff like how old she is, or what we did the day before , when we took her to primary children's they did the sleep study test said that they seen something abnormal but didnt know what is was they did a blood test and said that her insulin level is super high but still didnt do anything , They have never put her on any kind of medicine. Im at a loss for what and where to go from here
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@iamheal101
Good afternoon,
My answer to your question would be who knows.
Some doctors say smoking won’t increase seizures yet there are statistics that smokers are 4 times more likely to have have a seizure. I cant speak as to the validity of either.
Smoking has been proven to be harmful to every organ system including changing electrical activity in the brain which is the basis for seizures so I believe it may be possible that not smoking may lower the seizure threshold although I don’t know if it would lower it to the point of actually causing seizure activity. I have read some smokers saying that when they stop smoking they have a seizure. An excellent question, just wish I knew the answer. I am afraid it’s going to be a long time before there’s a definitive answer.
As far as alcohol is concerned I know a lot of people with epilepsy who indulge in spirits. The main reason many doctors suggest not to partake if you have epilepsy is probably due to increased side effects from the medication. The alcohol can intensify certain side effects.
Alcohol is a poison to our bodies and our body goes into priority mode to remove it as soon as it is detected.
Seizures are generally caused by alcohol poisoning from binge drinking hours to a couple of days after a person stops drinking. A major reason not to drink heavily is the possibility of Convulsive Status Epilepticus a life threatening emergency of continuous seizure activity.
My own personal belief is that if people would abstain from both they would probably be better off.
So @iamheal101 would you like to share how much you smoke & drink?
Have you been diagnosed with Epilepsy?
If so do you know your diagnosis? Do you know what type seizures you have? Are you on seizure medication?
Bottoms up & take care,
Jake
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
2 ReactionsI found an article from professor sanjay kumar from florida state university of medicine that he has come across something promising for prevention of epileptic seizures it is an amino acid d-serine,You might want to look it up and do some research on it.Sounds really promising.Let me know what you think of it after you read what he has to say.
An amino acid for seizure control. That is very interesting. It should be a good natural form of seizure control that is free of side effects.
My daughter Has Seizures was diagnosed with epilepsy.. But that's all no meds just hey you have seizures. Any insight on where to go next she is 17 never had seizures, til she started her periods she has a period she has a seizure every time. Put on birth control seemed to work for the last 3 years and then Friday the 11 of march 2022. Had a seizure, I feel like I'm back to square 1. Please any help would be greatly appreciated
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Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionHello @hoochinmama and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I am sure this must be very concerning for you. It was great that you noticed her menstrual cycle as a trigger for seizures. Can you confirm if your daughter diagnosed with Catamenial Epilepsy specifically?
For Catamenial Epilepsy, birth control can help due to the progesterone. It may be the case that she needs a different type of birth control due to her changing hormonal needs. Have you considered revisiting this as a starting point to see if a change in dosage would be beneficial?
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Like -
Helpful -
Hug
2 ReactionsShe is on birth control, And she has been taking Progesterone cream. But I agree maybe Have it checked out again
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2 ReactionsNo I cant say exactly because they just said she has epilepsy That is all
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1 Reaction@hoochinmama
Sounds like it may be Catamenial Epilepsy.
Is your daughter aware of having the seizures or is her awareness impaired?
Did the doctor mention the type of seizure or if they were Focal/Generalized/Partial/Tonic-Clonic?
Does she have any warnings before the seizure?
Here is a more active Epilepsy forum called Coping with Epilepsy. Here is a link. If you want to post a question chose THE KITCHEN from the list.
https://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/
Here is some in-depth information on Catamenial Epilepsy.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3469236/
Here is a woman's account of what helped her. There are also many comments.
https://www.epilepsy.com/connect/forums/medication-issues/catamenial-epilepsy-finally-solution
Here is some info from the Epilepsy Foundation.
https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/epilepsy-and/professional-health-care-providers/refractory-seizures/potentially-remediable-causes/catamenial-epilepsy
Wishing you and your daughter the best of luck,
Jake
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5 ReactionsMight be worth also monitoring her condition with an app. There are many free apps on the App Store and Google Play Store. One of the best rated is Epsy, (https://www.epsyhealth.com/), where you can log all her meds, seizures, side effects, and so on. The info shows up into clear insights, to help with possibly finding 'patterns' - you can also connect the app with her neurologist. They can then also see overviews of her condition since the last appointment.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
5 ReactionsNo she's never aware when its coming and she gets so sick after like throwing up for 12-16 hours and she cant remember simple stuff like how old she is, or what we did the day before , when we took her to primary children's they did the sleep study test said that they seen something abnormal but didnt know what is was they did a blood test and said that her insulin level is super high but still didnt do anything , They have never put her on any kind of medicine. Im at a loss for what and where to go from here
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
2 Reactions