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.

Epilepsy and marijuana

Sat, 02/05/2005 - 12:32
Hi all, I was wondering whether or not the effects of pot on the brain can intefere with the effects of the epilepsy medicine Tegretol 400mg per day. I know grapefruit and alcohol have adverse effects on the drug's treatments and can lead to uncontrollabe seizure possibilities in some cases. However, in the case of weed I do not not if it does have any interference or not. So if anyone could help me here I would appreciate it. Thanks.Chris

Comments

RE: Epilepsy and marijuana

Submitted by EpilepsyDotComEditor on Tue, 2004-03-16 - 09:17
I'm not aware of any evidence that marijuana directly affects the actions of Tegretol or any other seizure medicine. You do need to be concerned about the possibility of more seizures from withdrawal, and about an increased likelihood of forgetting to take the Tegretol when using marijuana. There's a little more information about marijuana and epilepsy at http://www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/provoke_drugs.html.

RE: Epilepsy and marijuana

Submitted by tibet2 on Wed, 2004-03-17 - 03:21
hi, that was an interesting link and seems to be what i read. people are certain one way or the other that marijuana is helpful or harmful in terms of seizure control. personally it was a disaster. one thing i would be really concerned about it the quality of what you buy - you really can't be sure of it. and so much of it is laced with other chemicals that can't be good for you. and you'll never know what is in what you buy. plus it's very expensive these days! monotherapy is still the "gold standard" in epilepsy treatment, so it doesn't make sense to introduce another variable.

RE: Epilepsy and marijuana

Submitted by bryank76 on Fri, 2004-03-19 - 09:22
What I've found is the better the quality, the worse the affects (for some strange reason), but I've found that "schwag" definetly helps in relaxing. I'm on Keppra and Lamictal, so don't know the affects from your meds. I've also found, that with the really good stuff, it's best to be a comfortable setting, and not "out on the town" (for any quality that should be the case). If you are using it to relax, than use it to relax, not party. That's my advice.

Sign Up for Emails

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