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Coffee and seizures
Sat, 10/01/2011 - 17:35Comments
Re: Coffee and seizures
Submitted by pgd on Sun, 2011-10-02 - 11:12
Re: Coffee and seizures
Submitted by Spike. on Sun, 2011-10-02 - 14:34
Is there any relation between coffee and seizures? It depends on whether or not the coffee contains caffeine. And the same goes if teas and sodas contain caffeine. I don't care how many people come up with statistical results for whether or not if caffeine can, or cannot, trigger someone to have seizures. I know for a fact that caffeine can lower someone's seizure threshold, because caffeine lowered MY seizure threshold, resulting into ME having seizures. I still experience seizures (only simple partials and complex partial seizures), however, I have not had any teas or sodas containing caffeine for maybe 15 plus years, given me the result of not having as many seizures. And until tests results show whether or not you're seizures are being triggered by caffeine, no one will know the facts until you take some time to stop consuming any caffeine.
How could caffeine be triggering the person to have seizures? If you have been through an EEG test, primarily video EEG's performed in a hospital, then you may recall one of the procedures being done, was sleep deprivation. Well, sleep deprivation, a strobe light flashing near the person's eyes with their eyes closed, a person stimulating hyperventilation, and lowering the dosage amount of medication a person takes, are routine procedures performed during an EEG to see if they will trigger the person to have seizures. What does caffeine do? Helps keep a person awake. What can happen if a person has been kept awake for too long? Sleep deprivation. What can sleep deprivation result into? No matter if the person has epilepsy or not, it can lower a person's seizure threshold, resulting into seizure activity. Duh!
My suggestion is just try to avoid caffeine, including chocolate, for several weeks. If it appears you are not having any seizures, or, if you are having only mild seizures (seizures that are not so dramatic), then that could indicate that caffeine does trigger YOUR seizures. Avoiding caffeine is simple, cheap, and easy to do, and doesn't need a doctor's approval.
Bruce (I'm not a doctor, but instead, an epilepsy support group leader, epilepsy advocate, who has epilepsy.)
Is there any relation between coffee and seizures? It depends on whether or not the coffee contains caffeine. And the same goes if teas and sodas contain caffeine. I don't care how many people come up with statistical results for whether or not if caffeine can, or cannot, trigger someone to have seizures. I know for a fact that caffeine can lower someone's seizure threshold, because caffeine lowered MY seizure threshold, resulting into ME having seizures. I still experience seizures (only simple partials and complex partial seizures), however, I have not had any teas or sodas containing caffeine for maybe 15 plus years, given me the result of not having as many seizures. And until tests results show whether or not you're seizures are being triggered by caffeine, no one will know the facts until you take some time to stop consuming any caffeine.
How could caffeine be triggering the person to have seizures? If you have been through an EEG test, primarily video EEG's performed in a hospital, then you may recall one of the procedures being done, was sleep deprivation. Well, sleep deprivation, a strobe light flashing near the person's eyes with their eyes closed, a person stimulating hyperventilation, and lowering the dosage amount of medication a person takes, are routine procedures performed during an EEG to see if they will trigger the person to have seizures. What does caffeine do? Helps keep a person awake. What can happen if a person has been kept awake for too long? Sleep deprivation. What can sleep deprivation result into? No matter if the person has epilepsy or not, it can lower a person's seizure threshold, resulting into seizure activity. Duh!
My suggestion is just try to avoid caffeine, including chocolate, for several weeks. If it appears you are not having any seizures, or, if you are having only mild seizures (seizures that are not so dramatic), then that could indicate that caffeine does trigger YOUR seizures. Avoiding caffeine is simple, cheap, and easy to do, and doesn't need a doctor's approval.
Bruce (I'm not a doctor, but instead, an epilepsy support group leader, epilepsy advocate, who has epilepsy.)
Re: Coffee and seizures
Submitted by no alleykat on Sat, 2011-10-01 - 20:23
My Doctor said that caffeine is what he thinks causes it. I don't drink coffee because it causes me to become very stressed and tired. I start to shake ( nerves) and need sleep asap or I will fall asleep right there! I always thought it was just coffee, because I drink hot tea all day, but was told that the caffeine is not as high. I hope this helps, Take Care