In one small study from 2018, people with epilepsy who reported seizures after drinking had consumed seven or more standard-sized drinks before their seizures occurred. Nearly all of the seizures occurred within 12 hours after they stopped drinking. Furthermore, seizures seemed particularly likely if the participants did not regularly drink that much alcohol.

The prevalence of alcohol use in individuals with epilepsy is noteworthy. Alcohol can significantly influence the frequency and severity of seizures among those with epilepsy. People who drink large amounts of alcohol and suddenly stop are at a higher-than-usual risk of seizures. About 5 percent of people detoxing from alcohol abuse will have alcohol withdrawal seizures as part of the process of quitting drinking. This can happen whether or not a person has epilepsy at the time of the withdrawal.

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• Alcohol can cause seizures; however, seizures from alcohol use are most likely to occur during alcohol withdrawal.
• Delirium tremens is a serious, life-threatening complication of alcohol withdrawal.
• Developing alcohol dependence means you drink enough to have withdrawal symptoms if you stop drinking.
• However, most individuals who drink alcohol—even in larger amounts—do not necessarily go on to develop epilepsy.
• The prevalence of alcohol use in individuals with epilepsy is noteworthy.
• A seizure trigger can be a specific sight or sound, a substance, or a physiologic state (such as having low blood sugar).

The greatest risk of a seizure during a hangover is not due to the hangover itself but to the long-term blood sugar effects of alcohol. Alcohol causes an initial spike in blood sugar levels, followed by a drop below normal levels for the next 12 hours. Misusing alcohol can increase your overall risk of developing epilepsy. Heavy alcohol use of three or more drinks in a day can also increase the frequency of seizures in those who already have epilepsy.

Prompt treatment of alcohol withdrawal seizures is recommended to prevent status epilepticus. During the detoxification process, primary and secondary preventative measures can be taken. A meta-analysis of randomised, placebo-controlled trials for the secondary prevention of seizures after alcohol withdrawal showed lorazepam to be effective, whereas phenytoin was ineffective. Because withdrawal seizures do not recur if the patient remains abstinent, long-term administration of antiepileptic drugs is unnecessary in abstinent patients.

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. If you experience a seizure after drinking, seek medical advice to evaluate your alcohol consumption and seizure management.

• Some AEDs have side effects that include lowering tolerance for alcohol.
• They do not generally happen while a person is drinking, or even within a few hours of stopping.
• The treatment of alcohol dependence is more important and should be prioritised before the prevention of further seizures.
• Even people who do not have epilepsy can have a seizure after taking recreational drugs.
• People with epilepsy who take anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) must drink alcohol with caution.

Flashing / flickering lights

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.

However, people with epilepsy may be more likely to have seizures while going through alcohol withdrawal. Light, infrequent drinking isn’t linked to seizures, but people who are regular or heavy alcohol users have an increased risk of alcoholic tremors or seizure activity. 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. In the study population, generalized genetic epilepsy was an independent predictor for the occurrence of alcohol-related seizures. The mean alcohol intake prior to alcohol-related seizures was not higher in patients with generalized genetic epilepsy than in subjects with focal epilepsy. Lennox stated that alcohol-related seizures had occurred more often in patients with symptomatic than in cryptogenic or idiopathic epilepsies (1).

Seeking Help: Resources for Managing Alcohol and Epilepsy

However, most individuals who drink alcohol—even in larger amounts—do not necessarily go on to develop epilepsy. The key takeaway is that alcohol misuse and abrupt withdrawal can exacerbate or unmask an underlying tendency to have seizures. In addition to that, alcohol intake significantly suppresses REM sleep periods (30). Altered sleep architecture due to acute alcohol consumption constitutes a non-negligible and important co-factor for seizure risk in patients with epilepsy. Due to the retrospective design of the present study, we were not able to assess sleep quality prior to alcohol-related seizure occurrences.

Alcohol Withdrawal Seizures

Seizures often occur during delirium tremens but are not always a symptom of this condition. Withdrawal seizures also happen independently of delirium tremens, and having seizures during withdrawal doesn’t necessarily mean that delirium tremens is present. These can alcohol trigger epileptic seizures changes can promote seizure activity in people with and without epilepsy during periods of alcohol withdrawal.

While alcohol itself typically doesn’t cause epilepsy, heavy drinking and chronic alcohol misuse can increase the risk of seizures. Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to changes in brain chemistry and lower the seizure threshold, making seizures more likely. Additionally, severe alcohol withdrawal is a well-documented trigger for seizures. Over time, repeated episodes of alcohol-induced seizures or other related brain changes may contribute to a higher risk of developing a persistent seizure disorder.

Seizures in alcohol-dependent patients: epidemiology, pathophysiology and management

This is important as this could lead to vitamin or mineral imbalances, which can sometimes make seizures worse. If you are thinking of going on a weight loss diet, seek advice from your doctor or specialist first. Some people find that keeping themselves busy or using some distraction techniques when they feel a seizure coming on, can sometimes avert a seizure. Even drinking large amounts of tea or coffee can give you more than the daily recommended amount of caffeine and this could trigger a seizure if you have already a lower seizure threshold. You may, for example, be asked to stay off alcohol for the first few months of starting a new medication or when changing over to a different medication to maximise your chances of seizure control.

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.