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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
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NetWellness provides the highest quality health information and education services created and evaluated by faculty of our partner universities.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
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Epilepsy |
Meds and alcohol08/29/2006 |
My son takes Lamictal for seizure control. He was in an accident in "99" at age 17. He had a severe brain injury, closed head injury. He was in a coma/comatose for about 1 and 1/2 mos. Through therapy and rehab, he was ableto go back to school, graduate and took 1 and 1/2 yrs of college, then quit. He went through several seizure meds.which would not control his grand mal seizures,then he was put on Lamictal. He has not had a grand mal seizure, though he experiences small petit like seizure. At 24, he does pretty much what he wants, my concern however, is that he wants to drink beer and or hard drinks. I have, so have his doctors, told him that it is not a good combination to mix drink with meds. I want to give him information which he could read for himself, of the affects that this could have on him. He has been told that alchohol will lower the threshhold of Lamictal. Can you advise or send infor. where I can get this answered. He is not addicted by any means to alcohol, but occasionally wants to indulge, and he sneaks around to get it, since I, his mother, don`t drink, and there is no "stock" available.
There are two issues that need to be considered when the question of alcohol use and epilepsy comes up. One is the effect that alcohol could have on the medicines used to control seizures. Alcohol can potentially affect how some seizure medications are metabolized which may result in lower blood levels and breakthrough seizures.The other issue is whether the alcohol itself will cause seizures. Large amounts of alcohol are thought to raise the risk of seizures and may even cause them.
Some individuals can have one alcoholic drink without causing problems. Large amounts of alcohol (binge drinking) or frequent use (more than a few times per week) may cause problems.
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David M. Ficker, MD Associate Professor Department of Neurology College of Medicine University of Cincinnati |
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