What Causes Seizures in Adults for the First Time?

Abruptly stopping benzodiazepines or heavy alcohol use can be dangerous, even life-threatening, and medical supervision is widely recommended. Stopping moderate alcohol use or opiates, and immediately precipitating withdrawal, is extremely unpleasant but not generally physically dangerous. Studies show that the opioid heroin, a central nervous system depressant, has a half-life in the body of 2 to 6 minutes, and withdrawal symptoms start usually 6 to 24 hours after the last dose. They reach a peak at 24 to 48 hours, and they resolve after four to 10 days. In general, acute withdrawal lasts about a week for drugs with a very short half-life. Withdrawal begins 8-24 hours after the last dose, reaches a peak at hours, and lasts 4-10 days.

One possible symptom is sensory disturbances, which can include burning, tingling and “electric-like” or “shock-like” sensations. Breakthrough seizures occur after a person has been seizure-free with treatment for at least 12 months. Both types of seizures may affect a person’s awareness, thinking, and senses. They can also cause physical symptoms, such as muscle stiffening or relaxing, twitching, and lip-smacking. Talk to a healthcare provider if you’re concerned about and experiencing these symptoms. TBIs can lead to seizures and other symptoms like headache or speech and memory difficulties.

When to Seek Medical Help

In such cases, alcohol withdrawal may not occur when they cut back or quit drinking. However, about half of people with alcohol use disorders will experience withdrawal symptoms. Additionally, there is a shocking 4.8x increase in the mortality rate of those who experience seizures compared to those who do not experience seizures during withdrawal.

DTs is extremely dangerous and in western medicine, it is deemed a “medical emergency” by healthcare workers. The mortality rate of DTs, when left untreated, what causes withdrawal seizures is a staggering 37% which should illustrate just how lethal a condition it is. With medical supervision, however, this number can be greatly reduced.

3. Questionnaires to detect severity of AWS

A seizure is a condition where brain cells malfunction and send electrical signals uncontrollably. That causes symptoms affecting other parts of your brain and your body. Everyone can have seizures, but some people can have them more easily for various reasons. Seizures are often treatable, especially depending on the underlying cause. Genetic, psychological, social and environmental factors can impact how drinking alcohol affects your body and behavior.

• In these models, the withdrawal seizures are triggered by neuronal networks in the brainstem, including the inferior colliculus; similar brainstem mechanisms may contribute to alcohol withdrawal seizures in humans.
• About one in 10 people will experience a seizure—a sudden attack of brain activity that typically lasts a few seconds or minutes—in their lives.
• Chronic ethanol exposure to GABA creates constant inhibition or depressant effects on the brain.
• These 2 chemicals tend to keep each other in check and balanced in a healthy brain.
• It can be difficult for both of you when your loved one is going through withdrawal.

However, the 2017 study found that people who increased their medication dosage following a breakthrough seizure were at higher risk of more episodes. This may be because lifestyle factors are responsible for triggering seizures rather than not taking antiseizure medication properly. Low blood sugar, high fevers, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), and medication side effects—among other factors—can all cause seizures in adults for the first time. However, epilepsy is diagnosed when a person has multiple unprovoked seizures. Read on to learn more about the causes of first-time seizures and what to do when they happen. For people with epilepsy, alcohol may interfere with anti-seizure medications and increase the risk of seizures.

How do I take care of myself?

If you have a more severe chemical dependence on alcohol, you may experience more severe symptoms more quickly. Quitting cold turkey can come with some severe withdrawal symptoms, and it can be dangerous. If you’re taking any drug or substance that can cause chemical dependence, quitting cold turkey can be dangerous. When your body develops chemical dependence on alcohol, it adapts to a consistent chemical balance change over time.

• Here’s what to know about what causes seizures, including why someone might experience one for the first time in adulthood.
• This way, you will be in the best possible position to support your loved one.
• According to the Mayo Clinic, some of the medication’s less common side effects include decreased interest in sexual intercourse and loss in sexual ability, desire, drive, or performance.
• There is also still some mystery as to why DTs occur in some people, and not in others.
• The alcohol withdrawal syndrome is a well‐known condition occurring after intentional or unintentional abrupt cessation of heavy/constant drinking in patients suffering from alcohol use disorders (AUDs).