drinking alcohol while on medication for e... - Epilepsy Action

Epilepsy Action

3,007 members1,122 posts

drinking alcohol while on medication for epilepsy

coady123 profile image
16 Replies

i was drinking alcohol while taking medication for epilepsy, i had a strange reaction to this, i had to go to hospital, has anyone els had similar episodes (i have since given up drinking alcohol)

Written by
coady123 profile image
coady123
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
16 Replies
EpilepsyAction1 profile image
EpilepsyAction1PartnerEpilepsy Action

Hi

I hope you are feeling better now.

Drinking alcohol can interact with your epilepsy medicines and can also make you feel drunk sooner that you normally would. Have alook at our alcohol information.

epilepsy.org.uk/search/goog...

Regards

Kathy

Epilepsy Action Helpline Team

coady123 profile image
coady123 in reply to EpilepsyAction1

thankyou, this was different though what ever happenned to me when i was in hospital i thought there had been a nucleur war etc and the ward i was in my side were dead and the other side were alive, strange huh? i was a real pain in the a--- of a patient too, i thought i was on a different planet, its the only way to describe it all because i drank alcohol on top of my medication, i will never drink again it was a drug i had just started taking i think was the cause of it CLOBAZAM ACCORD 10MG, it was a very strange experience,i take other tablets to, CARBAMAZEPINE 200MG, LAMOTRIGINE 100MG, LAMOTRIGINE 50MG ZONISAMIDE 100MG, i was just wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences, thanks in advance for replying

EpilepsyAction1 profile image
EpilepsyAction1PartnerEpilepsy Action in reply to coady123

Hi

We haven't spoken to anybody who has had an experience like this before.

I hope you hear from others on this platform, as sharing information and experiences can be a good idea. Can I just check you also know about our other services?

We have our virtual support groups epilepsy.org.uk/virtual-groups. We have our forum4e online community forum.epilepsy.org.uk/, and we are on facebook facebook.com/epilepsyaction and twitter twitter.com/epilepsyaction.

If we can be of any more help, please feel free to contact our helpline team. You can either email helpline@epilepsy.org.uk or phone the Epilepsy Action Helpline freephone 0808 800 5050. Our helpline is open Monday to Thursday 8.30am until 8.00pm, Friday 8.30am until 4.30pm and Saturday 10.00am until 4.00pm.

Regards

Jess

Epilepsy Action Helpline Team

coady123 profile image
coady123 in reply to EpilepsyAction1

thankyou

Nines profile image
Nines

Hi, I have been epileptic for 11 years and any time I have had no more than 2 glasses of wine without fail I always seizure the next morning and for the past 4years have been on clobazam accord 10mg and epilim chrono 600mg morning and night and an extra 200mg dose of epilim in the afternoon. I now don’t drink alcohol or even drink caffeine. I’ve pretty much tried everything to control my epilepsy including surgery but unfortunately I still have regular seizures but please know I’m here if you need someone to talk to as I’ve found on here a lack of response so I don’t post anything I just comment on things that I want to. Take care X

coady123 profile image
coady123 in reply to Nines

thanks for the reply, my episode was weird if i was to go through it with you you would think i was mad lol but at the end of the day alcohol and the tabs do not mix

Nines profile image
Nines in reply to coady123

I wouldn’t think you was mad, I could join in and whoever was listening would think we was mad lol 😉X

coady123 profile image
coady123 in reply to Nines

lol, when i get time i will tell you the whole story word for word lol, probabley bore you to death, anyway i hope you are ok, i would like an operation myself but was told i couldnt, my epilepsy was caused by meningitis when i was very young, i wouldnt remember, when i went through the machine that reads your body, i forgot its name they couldnt find anything wrong, to difficult to opperate on i think

Nines profile image
Nines in reply to coady123

I will look forward to hearing from you as I have only met one person while in hospital with epilepsy and after her seizures become controlled I didn’t hear from her anymore and she didn’t answer as we exchanged numbers so I didn’t try again. I became epileptic at 31 and have damaged to the left temporal lobe but don’t know why. I hope you have a nice Christmas Take care X

coady123 profile image
coady123 in reply to Nines

that left temporal lobe you say you have damaged, that sounds similar to what i have, the cause of mine was a virus i had when i was born, meningitus and something else i forget the name now, the tablets do the job but have after affects, ie moodness, depression, not all the time though, impatientness, at work i am always in a hurry, no need for it,it can annoy other people too who dont understand, the worse tablet i ever had to take was KEPPRA i had to ask the Dr to take me off of it, it made me feel so angry i could have got myself in trouble, i wanted an operation but the neurologist said they cant, the brain is a very dangerous thing you only get one chance

Adlon57 profile image
Adlon57

I started drinking when I was 16, I have had JMEpilepsy since 14. My pancreas finally gave out about fifty years later, I never touched spirits, but I now have Diabetes. The number of seizures I have had directly because of the interaction of the medication with alcohol and the long term damage to my system is ?? I have had over 400 seizures and probably lost ten years of my life because the mixture?

Veteran250 profile image
Veteran250 in reply to Adlon57

Coady123....... with all due respect, common sense would be never drink when on any medication, but I guess you found out to your cost, after your stay in hospital?

Hapy New Year😀

Adlon57 profile image
Adlon57 in reply to Veteran250

When young get drunk, but all those years, going out with the 'lads' on a Friday or Saturday night, drinking alcohol with epilepsy medication, then occasionally having seizures, this I started back in the 1970's, not really told not to, knew it was bad, stay off the spirits, only beer and lager [it will be okay? in reality I knew it was not!] now 2017 my system put an end to it, all the different medications I have been on, not just for epilepsy [I said on a previous email here "I have had enough medication to put out a branch of Boots!"] as you said I found to my cost, I have stopped alcohol, but too late! Stay safe! 🙃🙄😗

coady123 profile image
coady123 in reply to Adlon57

sorry to read about your problem, i have stopped drinking altogether but its an easy thing to get back into, i am glad the pubs are closed lol, i bet you feel better for it though saved a few pound aswell,, if you can stay away from it

EpilepsyAction1 profile image
EpilepsyAction1PartnerEpilepsy Action in reply to Veteran250

Hi Veteran250

Thank you for your post. It’s difficult knowing whether or not to drink alcohol when you have epilepsy. But some people with epilepsy can drink alcohol.

Everyone is different and it’s the individual’s decision. We have information to help people make an informed decision epilepsy.org.uk/info/daily-...

Also people can check on the leaflet that comes with their epilepsy medicine if alcohol interacts with that particular medicine.

If you would like to discuss this further, please feel free to contact the Epilepsy Helpline freephone 0808 800 5050.

Regards

Diane

Adlon57 profile image
Adlon57

It was a social drinking fad over fifty years, I was a social drinker, four or five pints, met a lot of good friends over the years, maybe had a break for a couple of months, I ignored my responsibilities, but never drunk to to get drunk, I went to occasional beer festivals, never relied on it, but all those weekend pints with my epilepsy medication as well, eventually my organs are starting to break down from 2017 onwards. I still yearn for the social aspect to slip down to the pub for a chat, a pub quiz, which I had set and won numerous of them. Ironically society seems to have outgrown "to slip down to the pub with the boys", pub quizzes non-existent, beer festivals more a rarity now, but now I can't even have a casual sip of the amber liquid in the back garden, now I am fully retired, [pancreatitis] , that is what I REALLY miss!🙄

You may also like...

Epilepsy medication increasing risk of dementia

com/articles/325553 This study has concluded that some epilepsy medications can increase the risk...

Alcohol induced seizures

like to see if anybody has had the same experience and what the outcome was? I have a very good...

Epilepsy?

healthy, I don't smoke or drink and have a healthy BMI. The episodes always follow the same...

Epilepsy

of meds. So now it's tough getting around. I had only had my license and car for 2 months. I love...

Diagnosis of epilepsy

how easy or hard it is to get diagnosed with epilepsy? I have seizures for the last 12 years but...