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Keppra and Alcohol

Mon, 02/04/2008 - 13:49

I am a healthy 28 year old male who just had his first 2 seizures on consecutive days.  I went to the hospital and had an MRI and an EEG.  The EEG came back abnormal so the DR. put me on Keppra 1000mg a day.  I am a social drinker who drinks regularly.  The Doctor said I shouldn't drink and if I do I can only have one drink.  Is this true?  I am not an alcoholic but the thought of never being able to get drunk again is fairly upsetting to me.  Does anyone have any advice?  What happens if I do drink?

 Thanks

Comments

Re: Keppra and Alcohol

Submitted by maBenzi on Wed, 2009-12-16 - 07:32
Ever heard of Kepprage? Well, you may get suicidal, violent, aggressive, irrational, etc.  I can't take Keppra. I cannot take it especially with alcohol...it just makes that bad situation worse. It may not have the same effect...but at least you know now

Re: Keppra and Alcohol

Submitted by idopathic on Wed, 2009-12-16 - 16:22
Intresting topic. Last year when I had my seizure I had the same ordeal. I am social drinke more on the light side. I was put on Keppra 1000mg and told not to drink. I was told not to drink bceause  alcohol lowers your seizure threshhold (aka more likley to have seziures) and also the alcohol lowers the effectivness of the Keppra. So basically when you drink whether you take the medication or not your putting yourself more at risk. I know I was pissed and felt the same way you did even though I drink maybe 1 glass of wine a week.  I do not advise not taking the medications just to drink. Just to give in idea how powerful alcohol can be; the night before I had my first seizure ever I had only 2 drinks. They say that could have been the trigger. I no one longer take Keppra for any meds. However, I limit my drinking to once every 2 weeks or so. I'm sure this is not the greatest. However, I suggest you start prepring for yourself to a cut back. The more you have seizures the more likely you will reconsidering the drinking, in my opinion. Also what  helped me was telling eveyrone  I had seizures.  People stopped buying me drinks and actually take drinks way from me or tell or people not offer me drinks so I do not feel bad. This sounds unplesant, but actually, it helps as it feels like support and also makes it not so weird when I'm at a bar or social gathering

Re: Keppra and Alcohol

Submitted by missjulianne on Wed, 2009-12-16 - 21:34
I am not on Keppra I only take 125mg of topiramate, I have nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy. I was told not to drink on this medication much lik everyone else, because of the withdrawl effects. I have had one seizure from drinking and this is because I mixed about 7 different types of drinks over the course of 5 hours, beer, vodka, gin, wine, you name it. I woke up having a massive autonomic seizure, with my heart in atrial fibrillation. Since then I have only drank beer and I can drink up to 4, I just make sure its 2 hours after I have taken my medication. I havent had another problem since that one time. But we are all different so I would be very careful, I am also on a very low dose.

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