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.

Smoking cigarettes and seizures....

Sat, 07/30/2005 - 00:07
I've been a smoker for about 13 years or so now. I'm not a heavy smoker by any means, and I go through a pack every 3-4 days. I just wanted to find out from "other smokers" on this site or any non-smokers who even may know....Does smoking affect epilepsy at all?

Comments

Cigarettes and Epilepsy

Submitted by Skimberly1211 on Tue, 2005-09-27 - 11:36
i have been smoking for about a year or so now, im a very heavy smoker and i was wondering the same thing. i keep hearing different opinions from different medical websites, some saying there is no known effect and others saying the nicotine can trigger them.... my seizures and very much under controll, i can drive and everything but i started worring about it so does anyone know what true and whats not? my doctor told me to not smoke but im not sure if it was the epilepsy thing or just being a doctor

Re: Smoking cigarettes and seizures....

Submitted by aquila316 on Tue, 2006-04-18 - 08:29
Question about nicotine patches: I am a 33 year old female who has been a smoker for almost 19 years, and decided recently to quit. I have been wearing the nicotine patch, but seem to be experiencing more temporal lobe seizures than usual. I am documenting them every day, but it has only been a short time since I quit and a little too early to tell. If anyone has any information or has heard anything about the patch affecting temporal lobe seizures please, please let me know. All I have heard id that it is safe (even from my doctor) so I just want too see if anyone else has any experiences. Thank you, Susan

Re: Re: Smoking cigarettes and seizures....

Submitted by ac420ec on Tue, 2006-04-18 - 10:43
I just read an article yesterday about frontal lobe epilepsy and nicotine. They saw a connection between nicotine and reduced seizures. This may be location specific since in this form of epi they had identified the genes responsible for adnfle and they were nicotine receptor genes. I wouldn't take that as gospel since the study was only mildly conclusive. You might try googling it. Anyway, perhaps the nicotine was helping to curb your seizures and since you are on a lower dose with the patch you are seeing an increase.

Sign Up for Emails

Stay up to date with the latest epilepsy news, stories from the community, and more.