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.

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

Re: Re: Caffeine and seizures

Submitted by dave 44 on Fri, 2007-08-10 - 12:45
I didnt start drinking coffee till I was well into my 30s. I just never did ,ok? Most of my 80 or so grand -mals occured BEFORE my drinking coffee. In other words caffene doesnt seem to affect my epilepsy. This is not to say it wont affect you . I can just speak for myself.

Re: Re: Re: Caffeine and seizures

Submitted by karolina on Sun, 2007-09-09 - 17:15
Dave, this was an old post but do you think the caffeine played a role in decreasing your grand-mals? We see caffeine as something bad but if there is some type of disruption going on with the electicity in your brain, maybe the jolt of caffeine can boost this and somehow help it function right. When a person is having a heart attack the docotors will often use those shock things to try and jump start their heart. Maybe this works similar to that.

Re: Re: Caffeine and seizures

Submitted by reading on Sat, 2007-08-11 - 12:31
You're right -- and in some cases, cases I've seen at school, caffeine is used INSTEAD of Ritalin. I had a student who, because parents refused Ritalin, had it in his IEP to have a can of Jolt cola every day at 11:45, because it shut the ADD down. I kid you not, the kid was bouncing off the ceiling (forget the wall, he was long past it!) when he went upstairs to get it, and mellow as a cello when he came back down half an hour later. Totally different kid. If caffeine is such a stimulant, how come it settles ME down when I'm totally stressed? I've had more sz OFF caffeine than I have had with it. In fact, one of my automatisms used to be that I would go in SEARCH of it to pull me OUT of a sz, apparently. I've come back from so many partials with caffeine in my hands it isn't funny.

Sign Up for Emails

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