Community Forum Archive
The Epilepsy Community Forums are closed, and the information is archived. The content in this section may not be current or apply to all situations. In addition, forum questions and responses include information and content that has been generated by epilepsy community members. This content is not moderated. The information on these pages should not be substituted for medical advice from a healthcare provider. Experiences with epilepsy can vary greatly on an individual basis. Please contact your doctor or medical team if you have any questions about your situation. For more information, learn about epilepsy or visit our resources section.
Can seizures be caused by birth control?
Fri, 02/22/2008 - 17:02Now, I know some of you may think this is strange, but here goes:
I'm 21 and have had only 2 seizures in my life. One in April of last year and the other in August. Both were after being on birth control (tri-cyclen lo, to be exact) for 3 months. I stopped taking my birth control after my seizure in April, but I didn't really think anything of it. I wasn't seeing anyone at the time so I just didn't really want it in my system. I started taking my birth control again in June after I met a new guy. After I had the seizure in August (late August) I started to think maybe it was caused by my birth control. The neurologist that was assigned to me said that it was entirely 100% impossible, but my family physician told me there was always a chance.
I have been completely off my birth control since that last seizure and have not been taking any medications either. I feel a lot healthier and I haven't had a single problem since then, but the neurologist still will not listen to my input about why I think this happened.
I sat down with one of my girl friends that also has epilepsy and told her what was going on. She told me that the same thing happened to her when she started taking the pill but that none of the neurologists here believed her. She went to a husband and wife team in Quebec (way far away) and they told her that it was entirely possible that it was her birth control that caused it.
Anyways, has this happened to anyone else?
Comments
Re: Can seizures be caused by birth control?
Submitted by sparker001 on Mon, 2008-09-29 - 16:12
Hi - I don't know if they can be "caused" by being on birth control, but mine all started after I stopped birth control (I'd been on it from age 14 until age 40 - I stopped it, then after a few months started it again, and then stopped it again. And after that, for the first time in my life, I started having full-blown seizures. I'd had what were apparently complex partial seizures - TLE's - since 2 yrs before that, but never thought much of them since I thought they were related to spiritual/mystical experiences I was having, and didn't think they had much to do with anything medical, plus I never got dizzy or lost consciousness. But after stopping the pill and my hormones getting so crazy, the complex partial seizures seguewayed into generalized seizures that landed me in the hospital, flipped me out of bed, etc. Now I'm back on the pill plus taking meds (Trileptal) and now instead of having full blown generalized seizures every month or so, they are down to maybe every 5-6 months, which I can live with! I think the issue is that hormonal fluctuations can be a cause, I believe that is what they call catamineal (sp?) seizures.
I think there are different ways of looking at seizures and finding the right neurologist is so critical. One neurologist just wanted me to take the meds and that was it, but another thought it made much more sense to get back on the pill to regulate my hormones, plus take the meds. Once I did that, that is when the attacks were much less frequent.
Not sure if that really answers your question, but perhaps sheds light on one aspect of it! :)
Hi - I don't know if they can be "caused" by being on birth control, but mine all started after I stopped birth control (I'd been on it from age 14 until age 40 - I stopped it, then after a few months started it again, and then stopped it again. And after that, for the first time in my life, I started having full-blown seizures. I'd had what were apparently complex partial seizures - TLE's - since 2 yrs before that, but never thought much of them since I thought they were related to spiritual/mystical experiences I was having, and didn't think they had much to do with anything medical, plus I never got dizzy or lost consciousness. But after stopping the pill and my hormones getting so crazy, the complex partial seizures seguewayed into generalized seizures that landed me in the hospital, flipped me out of bed, etc. Now I'm back on the pill plus taking meds (Trileptal) and now instead of having full blown generalized seizures every month or so, they are down to maybe every 5-6 months, which I can live with! I think the issue is that hormonal fluctuations can be a cause, I believe that is what they call catamineal (sp?) seizures.
I think there are different ways of looking at seizures and finding the right neurologist is so critical. One neurologist just wanted me to take the meds and that was it, but another thought it made much more sense to get back on the pill to regulate my hormones, plus take the meds. Once I did that, that is when the attacks were much less frequent.
Not sure if that really answers your question, but perhaps sheds light on one aspect of it! :)
Re: Can seizures be caused by birth control?
Submitted by katvdw on Sat, 2010-11-06 - 00:32
WOW!
I thought I was going crazy! My doctor has told me that coming off my pill, had nothing to do with my epilepsy, though my husband and I are starting to wonder if it does. I am too scared to go back on the pill, not knowing if it will have another adverse reaction to meds etc.
Also. We are wanting to have a family eventually, and obviously being on birth control would put a damper on that.
But at the moment, I am deseperate, and if neuro or doc told me that taking hormones etc would help I WOULD DO IT IN A HEARTBEAT. I can't cope with this in the interim.
Interesting to see that there ARE others out there that are having the same experiences. I can't actually find a lot of info out there that supports withdrawal of pill and epilepsy.???
WOW!
I thought I was going crazy! My doctor has told me that coming off my pill, had nothing to do with my epilepsy, though my husband and I are starting to wonder if it does. I am too scared to go back on the pill, not knowing if it will have another adverse reaction to meds etc.
Also. We are wanting to have a family eventually, and obviously being on birth control would put a damper on that.
But at the moment, I am deseperate, and if neuro or doc told me that taking hormones etc would help I WOULD DO IT IN A HEARTBEAT. I can't cope with this in the interim.
Interesting to see that there ARE others out there that are having the same experiences. I can't actually find a lot of info out there that supports withdrawal of pill and epilepsy.???
Re: Can seizures be caused by birth control?
Submitted by rachely84 on Sun, 2008-09-28 - 19:37
Hi...I have epilepsy but have never been on birth control, however I know someone that started having seizures about 2 months after taking the pill (don't know exactly what she was taking) She no longer takes BC pills, but her seizures have not stopped. She has been to the top hospitals in the state (Duke Medical and Chapel Hill) but she doesn't know anything more today than she did when she first started taking BC...I would say based on her experience, that yes it can be a problem for some people...It wouldn't be the first med to cause people to have seizures. If you listen closely to some of the perscription med commercials some of them list seizures as a side effect. So I don't see why BC would be any different. I think that everyone reacts differently to medications and that means doctors shouldnt ever rule anything out as a possibility just because it isn't in a medical textbook. So there is my 2 cents hehe