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Caffeine and seizures

Tue, 01/30/2007 - 16:16
Do all people with E get triggered by stimulants like caffeine? and if not, why would only some people have it as a trigger...why wouldn't be a universal trigger like sleep deprivation?

Comments

Hi Pamela :) Ok, let's start

Submitted by solis on Tue, 2007-01-30 - 23:29
Hi Pamela :) Ok, let's start with this: "Tobacco is carcinogenic, it causes cancer in all people." Sorry, but such is not true.. ie 'all' are NOT affected...even 'all smokers'. Case in point: My father smoked 3 packages of cigarettes per day & is now 87. (Here is someone who smoked ,more than average, for 30 years yet he's already outlived the typical male) You are also thinking that caffine should cause the same effect in all people and find the fact that it doesn't strange. For decades I drank many cups of coffee daily, yet I didn't seize every day. My seizures had no parellel with my drinking coffee. (nor did my sleep patterns as I always slept very deeply due to the meds.) What the caffine (stimulant) did do was wake me up from the constant stupor I was in due to being loaded down with (depressant) AEDs. I still drink coffee; but, today, most cups are decaffinated & it was never suggested to me ,even by my epilptologist, that I nix caffine from my life either. I'm also willing to bet that even within the confines of that which is within the common denominator as 'a cause of seizures': "sleep deprivation", that some people can take a lot less sleep before they react, while others only need one late night before they seize. Bottom line: the universal trigger (ie common denominator) is not as identical (common) as it initially appears. If it was easily determined what definitely causes seizures, many would be able to completely control themselves via simply adherimg to the rules. However, just as one med can cause a different reaction in different people, it's also true that the causes of seizures vary. If such was not the case, E would have been completely cured eons ago. hope that makes some sense, ~sol :)

Re: Caffeine and seizures

Submitted by pixiedust on Wed, 2007-01-31 - 15:35
caffiene also counteracts with meds too, so it depends

Re: Caffeine and seizures

Submitted by pgd on Fri, 2007-08-10 - 11:29
Caffeine is a known weak drug in the same category as the stimulants used to treat ADHD - ADD - Hyperactivity. Caffeine can lower the seizure threshold for some of those with epilepsy. http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Tartrazine_and_ADHD/

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