Vaping Poses Unknown Risks for Those With Epilepsy. Vaping has received extensive press coverage in recent months because of the small epidemic of severe lung disease in people who vape. More than 1,000 such cases have now been reported. While these reports have been widely disseminated, there has been much less attention to reports that indicate vaping may cause or worsen seizures.
Why does marijuana help epilepsy?
However, more and more evidence suggests that there really is an entourage effect with medical marijuana even in epilepsy patients. They have found that some patients who initially develop tolerance to CBD are able to maintain control of their seizures by adding THC rather than increasing the dose of CBD.
Is nicotine bad for epilepsy?
These findings suggest that cigarette smoking is associated with at least one aspect of epilepsy severity. Thus, in addition to the broader health benefits, smokers with epilepsy should be advised of the increased seizure risk associated with current cigarette smoking.
What are the 6 types of seizures?
What are the six types of seizures?
- Simple Focal Seizures. Simple focal seizures occur for a short amount of time – typically lasting less than one minute.
- Complex Focal Seizure.
- Absence Seizure.
- Atonic Seizure.
- Tonic-Clonic Seizure.
- Myoclonic Seizure.
What is the most common cause of epilepsy?
What causes epilepsy?
- Some people with no known cause of epilepsy may have a genetic form of epilepsy. ...
- About 3 out of 10 people have a change in the structure of their brains that causes the electrical storms of seizures.
- Some young children may be born with a structural change in an area of the brain that gives rise to seizures.
Does vaping trigger seizures?
There is no evidence that nicotine vaping causes seizures. The fact that a seizure occurred while vaping does not prove that vaping was the cause. Severe nicotine poisoning can cause seizures, but critical warning signs develop long before a seizure occurs.
Can you vape when you have epilepsy?
Vaping and seizures Because vaping is a relatively new way of smoking, we don't currently know so much about how it might affect seizures. However, some case studies suggest that it could be a seizure trigger and scientists are trying to find out more (not to mention the other risks of vaping).
Does nicotine worsen epilepsy?
Contrary to the hypotheses, smokers with epilepsy were not at an increased risk of having refractory epilepsy compared with nonsmokers with epilepsy. These findings suggest that cigarette smoking is associated with at least one aspect of epilepsy severity.
What can trigger a seizure?
What are some commonly reported triggers?Specific time of day or night.Sleep deprivation – overtired, not sleeping well, not getting enough sleep, disrupted sleep.Illness (both with and without fever)Flashing bright lights or patterns.Alcohol - including heavy alcohol use or alcohol withdrawl.More items...
Does nicotine affect EEG?
Zero nicotine cigarette smoking also caused EEG changes, including an increase in alpha 1 and alpha 2 activity.
Can epileptic people smoke?
Cigarette smoking is especially complex in epilepsy because nicotine and tobacco smoke have both proconvulsant effects (e.g., reducing the anticonvulsive effects of certain antiseizure drugs) and anticonvulsant effects, which has been demonstrated in various human studies and animal models (5,9).
Does smoking help with epilepsy?
Smoking kills people with epilepsy. One out of every 5 deaths in America each year is caused by cigarette smoking.
Can too much nicotine give you a seizure?
Seizures or convulsions are known potential side effects of nicotine toxicity and have been reported in the scientific literature in relation to intentional or accidental swallowing of e-liquid.
How much nicotine can cause a seizure?
Furthermore, microinjection of nicotine (100 and 300 μg/side) into the amygdala elicited convulsive seizures in a dose-related manner. The present results suggest that nicotine elicits convulsive seizures by activating amygdalar neurons mainly via α7 nACh receptors.
Can tobacco trigger seizures?
In a prospective study of women aged 25 to 42 years in the Nurses' Health Study II, cigarette smoking was observed to be related to an increased risk of single or provoked seizures that were independent of stroke (9).
Can I use nicotine patches if I have epilepsy?
Conclusions: Treatment with a nicotine patch can be an effective therapy in epilepsy patients with nAChR gene variants.
What drugs are used in e-cigarettes?
In some cases, e-cigarettes were being used with drugs like marijuana and amphetamines.
Can e-cigarettes cause seizures?
Washington – U.S. health officials are investigating whether electronic cigarettes may trigger seizures in some people who use the nicotine-vaping devices. The Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday, April 3 it had reviewed 35 reports of seizures among e-cigarettes users, mainly in young people.
Is vaping a health hazard?
It's not the first time the FDA has flagged a potential health hazard with vaping devices — the agency has warned of rare burns and explosions related to overheating of batteries that power the devices.
Can you use nicotine in e-cigarettes?
Additionally, many refillable e-cigarettes can be used with nicotine formulas of varying strength. Nicotine poisoning can cause seizures, convulsions, vomiting and brain injury. The FDA has previously warned of potentially fatal nicotine poisoning in infants and children who accidentally swallowed nicotine solutions.
Mordacai Vaping Master ECF Veteran
Hello good folks of ECF, I'm having a bit of an issue finding out Epilepsy and Vaping.
Daniel Forsyth Vaping Master ECF Veteran
I have epilepsy and have vaped for the past two years. I also had a good chat with my neurologist about vaping and he has given it two thumbs up my juice ratio is 30/70, pg/vg!
Territoo Vaping Master Verified Member ECF Veteran
The fact that there is so little about vaping and seizures is a good thing. It means that so far in the 15 or so years that vaping has been around, no one has seen a correlation between the two. Since there is no correlation between nicotine and seizures, then the likelihood of vaping and seizures having some relationship is pretty small.
Territoo Vaping Master Verified Member ECF Veteran
Oh the correlation was hunted for. I'm glad they couldn't even get enough info on the two to cherry pick.
MLEJ Super Member ECF Veteran
The neurologist I was seeing didn't seem to pay mind at all to the fact that I was vaping instead of smoking, but I bet he was getting some warm fuzzies in his belly because I wasn't smoking anymore..
UncleJunkle Vaping Master Verified Member ECF Veteran
I don't know what the difference between Epilepsy and a Seizure Disorder it as I could never get a doctor to explain the difference to me, and I have had about 4 neurologists now.
How many seizures are there from e-cigarettes?
After examining poison control centers' reports between 2010 and early 2019, the FDA determined that, between the poison control centers and the FDA, there were a total of 35 reported cases of seizures mentioning use of e-cigarettes within that timeframe.
How long after smoking e-cigarette can you get seizures?
Seizures have been reported as occurring after a few puffs or up to one day after use. Most of the self-reported data that the FDA has received does not contain any specific brand or sub-brand information about the e-cigarette.
Why is the FDA seeking more information about seizures following e-cigarette use?
The FDA is seeking more information about seizures following e-cigarette use to identify common risk factors and understand if any e-cigarette product attributes such as nicotine content or formulation may contribute to seizures.
How do you know if you have a seizure?
Other possible signs of seizures include a lapse in awareness or consciousness, which may look like a person is staring blankly into space for a few seconds or suddenly stops moving. The person may or may not fall down. Most seizures end in a few seconds or minutes, and the person may seem fine, sleepy, confused or have a headache afterwards.
Does the FDA have information on e-cigarettes?
Most of the self-reported data that the FDA has received does not contain any specific brand or sub-brand information about the e-cigarette. While detailed information is currently limited, the FDA is alerting the public to this important and potentially serious health issue. Healthcare providers should be aware that seizures may be associated ...
Do e-cigarettes have high nicotine levels?
Parents, teachers, and other concerned adults should be aware that many youth are using e-cigarettes that closely resemble a USB flash drive, have high levels of nicotine and emissions that are hard to see.
Do e-cigarettes cause seizures?
Some E-cigarette Users Are Having Seizures, Most Reports Involving Youth and Young Adults. The FDA has become aware that some people who use e-cigarettes have experienced seizures, with most reports involving youth or young adult users.
Is smoking a cigarette a sign of epilepsy?
The role of cigarette smoking in epilepsy severity and epilepsy-related quality of life. Empirical evidence suggests that cigarette smoking is common among individuals with epilepsy. However, little is known about relationship between smoking and clinical features of epilepsy .
Is smoking a symptom of epilepsy?
Empirical evidence suggests that cigarette smoking is common among individuals with epilepsy. However, little is known about relationship between smoking and clinical features of epilepsy. Thus, the aim of the current study was to examine the differences between smokers (n = 43; 58.1% female, Mage= 43.4 years, SD = 11.6) and nonsmokers (n = 49; 63.3% female, Mage= 48.5 years, SD = 15.9) with epilepsy in terms of epilepsy severity (i.e., presence of seizures in the past year, refractory epilepsy status) and epilepsy-related quality of life. As hypothesized, smokers with epilepsy, compared with nonsmokers with epilepsy, were at an increased risk to have experienced seizures in the past year after controlling for the effect of Medicaid status as a proxy for socioeconomic status (odds ratio [OR] = 3.61). Positive smoking status was also associated with lower levels of epilepsy-related quality of life; however, this finding did not remain significant when Medicaid status was taken into consideration. Contrary to the hypotheses, smokers with epilepsy were not at an increased risk of having refractory epilepsy compared with nonsmokers with epilepsy. These findings suggest that cigarette smoking is associated with at least one aspect of epilepsy severity. Thus, in addition to the broader health benefits, smokers with epilepsy should be advised of the increased seizure risk associated with current cigarette smoking. Future work should examine the longitudinal impact of smoking on epilepsy severity, including whether successful smoking cessation ameliorates the seizure risk found in this cross-sectional study.
Does smoking cause refractory epilepsy?
Contrary to the hypotheses, smokers with epilepsy were not at an increased risk of having refractory epilepsy compared with nonsmokers with epilepsy. These findings suggest that cigarette smoking is associated with at least one aspect of epilepsy severity.
