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.
Electrolyte imbalance?
Wed, 12/24/2014 - 23:45I am having no luck on google finding an answer to what I thought was a simple question.
Can seizures cause your electrolytes to get imbalanced? I know that if mine are low, I am more prone to seizures, but it seems that when I have a bout of frequent seizures, my electrolytes then get low.
I know that without bloodwork I have no way to tell for sure if they were low and that sets off the seizures, or if the seizures are somehow causing me to flush more electrolytes, but I'm curious if anyone else knows anything about this.
Quick background: I manage my seizures entirely through diet and exercise. I've had complex absence seizures since early childhood. I'm unmedicated. I do take a few supplements: CoQ10, D3, probiotics, and I take electrolytes before and after working out every day. I work out 5-6 days a week and have noticed a significant seizure decrease with this.
Hi Abifae - this is a long
Submitted by AML on Fri, 2019-02-15 - 08:13
Hi Abifae - this is a long time after you posted this, so I am hoping it still finds you.I am asking the same questions for my daughter who is 14, and has Absence. There is no question about salts being important for her (also currently managing by diet, but its getting trickier), and to be honest, I hadn't even thought of the seizures 'consuming' higher levels of electrolytes, I have always been wondering why she doesn't seem to take them in......thanks.She was recently prescribed Proton Pump Inhibitors for suspected GERD, and this threw her seizure levels to the point where they are not controlled enough for her to function properly (her seizures were not interrupting school, etc -- now for the first time they are). Not until a week after being on them did I look it up and realize that they were most likely a massive mistake - as they mess with electrolytes. Argh. She hasn't recovered back to her norm yet, and it is almost 3 weeks later. I hope this finds you, as I would love to hear if you have learned anything. I hope you are well.AM