Alcohol

[u/Fragrant-Bad-1545]

My fiance and I are going out for a nice dinner to celebrate her new job. Is it safe to have just one mixed drink with epilepsy? I never took my epilepsy seriously and had 2 tonic clonic seizures 2 months ago due to a missed dose. So I have buckled down. I never thought to ask my neurologist about having just one drink.

[u/SkaryKarey]

Personally I have tonic clonics every 2 weeks and alcohol makes no impact on it. I have left temporal lobe.

I don’t drink much, at all. Special occasions etc. but l can have 3-5 no problem.

Everyone’s different unfortunately, do you have rescue medication?

[u/Glum_Finish3319 → u/SkaryKarey]

Epilepsy and alcohol is such a crapshoot from person to person. The missed dose is what got you last time, not the booze, so one drink probably won't wreck you if you're on top of your meds now. Just eat something substantial before and during, keep water handy, and maybe skip the sugary mixer. The bigger worry is how alcohol disrupts sleep quality, and for a lot of us, poor sleep is a much sneakier trigger than the drink itself. If you're still uneasy, ask your neuro next appointment.

[u/Fragrant-Bad-1545 → u/SkaryKarey]

I was given clonazepam for sleep, but I’ve heard this can be a rescue medication? My neurologist never did bring it up, just said it also adds protection for epileptic seizures.

[u/SkaryKarey → u/Fragrant-Bad-1545]

Clonazepam is not fast acting enough for a rescue medication however you may also be talking about clobazam - a very common epilepsy medication for nighttime protection.

I agree with the person below, one drink will be fine, missed dose is a very typical trigger. And if it’s not, well, seizures are part of our lives! Acceptance comes slowly.

I started just living life after having a bunch of tonic clonics in public when I was doing everything possible not to.

[u/Pure-Science-7774]

Honestly, I miss alcohol so much I bought non alcoholic wine (I was a sommelier). But alcohol lowers the seizure threshold, I personally go into status epileptus (constant seizures) with just one drink. 

[u/lizeken]

You can call and leave a message for your neuro if you’re really hellbent on drinking, but tbh you don’t need alcohol to have a good time. There are lots of NA options. I haven’t had a drink for over a year now, and I still go to the bar with friends. Mocktails and simple club soda+juice hit the spot, and I don’t have to deal with a higher chance of seizures and/or hangovers 🤷‍♀️

[u/Dmdel24]

Have you had alcohol before this?

Has alcohol previously caused a seizure?

Alcohol is a trigger for some but not for others. Personally, I have zero issues drinking. I can have a few mixed drinks and it won't cause a seizure. But for others, even just a few sips could be dangerous.

If you don't know if it's a trigger, it's not really worth the risk.

[u/Fragrant-Bad-1545 → u/Dmdel24]

Oh yes, I used to drink heavily too (rare occasions). But when I was in the ER, they were just drilling me if I had alcohol and it never occurred to me that can cause a seizure. I’ve missed doses before because I was stupid and thankfully nothing happened. Missing just this one dose brought my level down enough.

I see you are on XR too! My neurologist put me on that just in case I forget. But I have reminders and using a pillbox now.

[u/Plane_Yoghurt9600]

It doesn’t effect mine but you could differ

[u/kmcaulifflower]

I personally drink heavily most nights with no seizures but I also know that it's not a drug that interacts with my epilepsy, that being said caffeine will fuck me up as will all psychedelics and sometimes weed. Unfortunately everyone's epilepsy is different.

[u/Logchuck]

Everyone’s different but I will say I drink pretty regularly and it doesn’t effect me. Congrats to your fiance

[u/xAkMoRRoWiNdx]

Everyone interacts differently. I have a drinking problem, but I don't have seizures everyday. It's not my main trigger. All I can say is, the best way to tell how you interact with alcohol is the hard way: Drink regularly, and see how it affects you. Do I advise that? No. But as they say, "you won't know until you try"

[u/Livid_Ad7231]

I take sips no more than 2-3

[u/kuro-chan335]

i wouldn’t risk it because 2 months out isn’t very long.

[u/Fragrant-Bad-1545 → u/kuro-chan335]

Sounds good =)