While seizures can manifest in many ways, tonic-clonic seizures are the most common and can last up to two minutes. Drinking has a complex link to seizures. Reviewing the medication leaflet and discussing interactions with a healthcare provider is important to understand specific risks. This combined effect can lead to increased impairment, making activities like driving particularly dangerous.

Alcohol misuse and epilepsy

Keep in mind that sometimes alcohol withdrawal seizures are a separate condition from epilepsy. Due to the potential risks for seizures, it is important that people wanting to withdraw from chronic alcohol use do so under medical supervision. Consuming alcohol seems to be a common trigger for seizures in people with epilepsy.

Drinking too much alcohol at once can increase your risk of seizures, especially if you binge drink or have a history of seizure problems. Alcohol can cause seizures; however, seizures from alcohol use are most likely to occur during alcohol withdrawal. Regular seizures linked to alcohol withdrawal can trigger more electrical activity in the brain.

Preventing Alcohol Seizures

Most of the seizures happened within 12 hours after they stopped drinking.4 Study results show that every person who drank large amounts of alcohol (at least 7 standard drinks) had worse seizures. In general, though, it is okay for people with epilepsy to drink in small amounts.

If you do decide to use CBD it’s important to let your epilepsy specialist know as it might affect the way your existing ASM works. However, NHS information suggests that there’s no guarantee these products are of good quality, or that they give any health benefits. Some health stores sell certain types of CBD. Currently, Epidyolex is the only cannabis-based medicine approved for treating epilepsy in the UK.

This condition may cause mild symptoms at first, such as headaches, anxiety, stomach pain and being unable to sleep properly. The patient information leaflet that comes with your ASM should say if alcohol is not recommended. Drinking alcohol is a personal choice, and the effect of alcohol varies from one person to another. Alcohol, drugs, and epilepsy. For these reasons, to prevent any injuries or uneasy situations, it is crucial that individuals know how to manage their alcohol intake. The neurotransmitter glutamate, responsible for exciting the brain, works in balance with GABA, meant to calm the brain.

Alcohol-Related Epilepsy

• The information we provide is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
• Binge drinking can increase your seizure risk in many ways.
• According to the Epilepsy Foundation, some studies have linked chronic alcohol misuse to the development of epilepsy.
• Before a seizure, people may experience an aura or feel a change in sensation — such as smell, taste, sound, or vision — due to abnormal activity in the brain.

Alcohol use changes brain signals and can cause dehydration and changes in the normal concentrations of chemicals in your bloodstream. Drinking impacts GABA receptors, which have a relaxing influence on the brain. Whether you are struggling with addiction, mental health or both, our expert team is here to guide you every step of the way. Often, the person will have no bodily control during the seizure and will not remember it, being very groggy as they slowly wake up afterward.

Interaction With Anti-Seizure Medications

Our program provides comprehensive follow-up care after medical detox to help maintain long-term sobriety. Drinking moderately at the most will help you avoid developing alcohol dependence. While the seizure is unlikely to be fatal, it can lead to injuries that can be very dangerous or potentially fatal.

Recreational drugs and epilepsy

According to the researchers, these results are consistent with previous studies.Prolonged drinking can lead to compensatory changes in your brain, such as the down-regulation of GABA receptors and increased expression of NMDA receptors.These changes can promote seizure activity in people with and without epilepsy during periods of alcohol withdrawal. Light, infrequent drinking isn’t linked to seizures, but people who are regular or heavy alcohol users have an increased risk of alcoholic tremors or seizure activity. Because of the risks of seizures and other symptoms, anyone with epilepsy who has been drinking heavily should seek medical support before stopping drinking alcohol. Long-term, chronic alcohol abuse has been linked to an increased risk of developing epilepsy itself, as repeated withdrawal seizures may make the brain more excitable over time. For people with epilepsy, alcohol may interfere with anti-seizure medications and increase the risk of seizures. Excessive alcohol consumption may cause seizures, particularly alcohol withdrawal after heavy drinking.

• Drinking amplifies the effects of GABA and leads to a slowing of brain activity, a state that is referred to as central nervous system depression; because alcohol intensifies this state of mind, seizures are more likely to occur (Valenzky, 2025).
• For some, seizures may be experienced during a hangover, when alcohol levels drop, and although drinking water may reduce the possibility of a hangover, it cannot prevent a seizure (epilepsy society, 2024).
• People with alcohol withdrawal seizures may also experience tremors, hallucinations, muscle spasms, and a rapid heart rate.
• While drinking alcohol, it generally acts as a depressant on the central nervous system, which might initially seem to reduce brain excitability.

Excess drinking and seizures

Following this stage of the seizure, the person will convulse uncontrollably. Alcohol affects the brain in many ways over the short and long term. For those who, after medical consultation, are advised that very moderate consumption might be permissible, certain precautions are important.

Causes & Risk Factors

Experts say your chances are much higher after consuming 3 or more alcoholic drinks.1 The more you drink, the more your risk of a seizure rises. So is it safe to drink alcohol when you have epilepsy?

General Health

Alcohol and seizure medicine also have the same side effects, which could make the combination doubly worse. As a result, you may feel the effects of alcohol and get drunk more quickly. When you drink while taking these types of drugs, it lowers your alcohol tolerance. The biggest seizure culprit may be when you often drink to excess and then suddenly stop. Limited alcohol amounts also do not change EEG results, which measure electrical activity in the brain.

Over 50% of alcohol withdrawal seizures may relate to additional risk factors, such as preexisting epilepsy, structural brain lesions, or drug use. According to a 2017 article, alcohol withdrawal seizures in those without epilepsy may occur 6–48 hours after a person consumes their last alcoholic drink. For people with epilepsy, alcohol may interact with epilepsy medications and worsen their side effects or make the medications less effective in preventing seizures.

What are the recommendations for alcohol use with epilepsy?

But it could go on to cause more serious symptoms such as epilepsy. Alcohol or recreational drugs can cause epilepsy in some people. The Centers for Disease can you drink alcohol if you have seizures Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that if you don’t currently drink alcohol, you should not start for any reason. This means drinking seven drinks a week for women and 14 for men at the most. Seizures are a potential withdrawal symptom that can be prevented if you drink in moderation. While a seizure may not damage the brain, it can make someone suddenly fall and be unable to catch themselves.

Some experts link excessive alcohol consumption to the development of epilepsy. If you do drink, avoid binge drinking or chronically high consumption, which may help reduce your seizure severity or frequency. Seizures often seem to develop in the hours after you stop consuming alcohol. Alcohol and some antiseizure medications can have similar side effects, and taking them together can cause potentially dangerous complications. In a 2020 study, research found that the risk of SUDEP was twice as high in people with a history of alcohol dependence or substance misuse disorder. People who chronically consume large amounts of alcohol seem to be more likely to have epilepsy than people who don’t.