Can Drugs Cause Seizures? Exploring Risks and Prevention Strategies

Understanding Drug-Induced Seizures and Treatment Options

No matter what substances you may be using, there comes a time when you have to consider the risks of continuing to partake. Medical issues can surface quickly with dosages beyond what your body can process, including severe consequences.

In understanding these effects, it is crucial to know: can drugs cause seizures, and what should you do to prevent them at all costs?

Drug-related seizures are caused by increased excitatory or decreased inhibitory responses to drugs in your system. Misfiring in the brain can be caused by several mechanisms, including neurotransmitter imbalances and a decreased seizure threshold due to other medications like bupropion. You are also at a greater risk of seizures during withdrawal.

If you want to curb adverse reactions to drug intoxication, including seizures, then you need to stop drug use in its tracks. Purpose Healing Center offers comprehensive and Joint Commission-accredited care at all levels, ranging from medical detox to intensive outpatient programs.

Here is what you need to know about drug interactions and the likelihood of seizures, and remember our caring team is here to support you (or a loved one) via confidential call at any time.

Drug-Related Seizures: Why They Happen and What to Expect

Drug abuse is uniquely dangerous when it comes to the potential side effects. Not only does it have a long-term effect on the brain structure, but it can also result in misdiagnosis of an epileptic seizure. If you aren’t honest with your provider about substance use, you might not find relief from the risk of a sudden seizure.

Here are the facts on how drugs trigger seizures and what you can expect from drug toxicity.

How Common are Drug-Induced Seizures?

You might think that seizures induced by drugs are a relatively rare occurrence, something that could happen to other people but never to you. However, the statistics are shocking when it comes down to the number of people who experience seizures.

Around 9 percent of status epilepticus (seizure) cases are caused by drug-related seizures from recreational drugs or exposure to toxins and poisons. You might be prescribed antiepileptic drugs to prevent dangerous seizures from occurring, but it may not be useful if you continue to use substances.

The issue is that there is more than one type of drug that can cause seizures. Alcohol withdrawal is a common trigger for a medical event, often surfacing mere hours after the last drink. Drugs also have an impact on recurrent seizures, especially if you’re taking cocaine. Cocaine is particularly notorious for causing a more serious form of this medical complication.

That being said, other drugs can push you over the seizure threshold including heroin, stimulants like ecstasy, synthetic cannabinoids, and inhalants like nitrous oxide.

Antidepressants like bupropion (brand name: Wellbutrin) can also trigger an event because of the bupropion seizure proportion that reduces the threshold for other drugs.

How Drug Abuse Causes Seizures to Occur in the Brain

While many people know that brain tumors and serious medical conditions can trigger seizures, they are less informed on how recreational substance use impacts the central nervous system. It’s important to understand why seizures occur before we dive into how to halt seizures promptly.

Generally speaking, seizures are caused by an imbalance in the brain. Either an increased excitatory or decreased inhibitory effect can lead to an electrical misfiring in the brain, also known as a seizure.

According to research on the seizure threshold, recreational drug use and poisons can impact brain perfusion, oxygenation, or metabolic disturbances. All of this contributes to the likelihood that a person will experience a seizure or something that resembles a seizure.

It’s hard to pinpoint the exact mechanism that leads to seizures caused by drug abuse because there is such a wide range of potential drugs. Each has direct and indirect chemical effects on the brain that can contribute to the phenomenon. It might have to do with neurotransmitter systems or even acetylcholine receptors.

More research needs to be done to pinpoint which drugs will cause seizures and in what dosages. Additionally conditions such as PTSD causing seizures are currently being studied with the goal of better understanding the connections involved.

Spotting an Epileptic Seizure and When to Seek Help

One of the most important things you can do if you or a loved one are struggling with drug abuse is to recognize the signs of drug-related seizures presenting as epilepsy. In general, there are two types of seizures: generalized seizures and focal seizures.

Generalized seizures come in two varieties: absence seizures and tonic-clonic. The tonic-clonic are the more obvious seizures that most people are familiar with. They involve jerking motions, motor activity, and a loss of consciousness for a brief period. On the other hand, absence seizures are less noticeable. They result in blinking, staring off into space, and smacking the lips.

Focal seizures are a bit harder to pinpoint. They only impact a small portion of the brain instead of both hemispheres. Instead of a dramatic appearance, you may only have the experience of being dazed for a brief period, unable to communicate clearly.

While a seizure should always be cause for concern and medical attention, most people don’t worry unless their seizures last for more than five minutes or occur back-to-back with no recovery time. This status epilepticus is dangerous.

If this happens, call 911 or get to the emergency department of your closest hospital.

How to Treat Seizures Induced by Drugs

Unfortunately, alcohol withdrawal seizures and drug seizures are both fairly hard to treat on your own. If you decide to discontinue drug use, it’s best to do so in the safety of a medical detox center like the facility at Purpose Healing Center. We will monitor you around the clock and can offer medication to minimize seizure activity and make you more comfortable.

First-line anticonvulsant therapy is usually more medication, namely benzodiazepines. The problem is that benzos can be a double-edged sword. Benzodiazepine withdrawal can also lead to seizures, but you want to quit the drugs altogether. We can help you taper down slowly during a detox and minimize the risk factors.

If the benzodiazepines don’t help quickly, then your medical team may pivot to barbiturates and propofol.

The best thing you can do to tease out whether you have seizure disorders or drug misuse issues is to discontinue drug use for good. Purpose Healing Center can help you establish healthier coping skills and prescribe medications for dual-diagnosis clients which are less likely to trigger seizures.

Electroconvulsive Therapy for Drug Misuse and Dual Diagnosis

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is important to mention concerning seizures and drug misuse. This is a great treatment option for many people who struggle with dual diagnosis, usually depression or bipolar disorder. It involves stimulating the brain to cause controlled seizures which can act as a ‘hard reset’ of the brain.

While these seizures can ultimately be helpful for psychiatric diagnoses, it’s important to note that ECT is not prescribed for substance misuse alone.

If you are using substances to mitigate the effects and feelings of depression or mania, then you may want to discuss this treatment with your doctor. Undergoing ECT requires you to abstain from all drug and alcohol use which can worsen the memory loss and undo the progress made during the treatment.

This is why enrolling in a residential program like the one offered at Purpose Healing Center is helpful. You’ll have the built-in safety net that keeps you from substance abuse while you focus on healing.

Enroll in Medical Detox at Purpose Healing for Safe Support

Whether you’re dealing with tricyclic antidepressants or bupropion-induced seizures, you need to seek medical help for drug-induced seizures. Purpose Healing Center offers robust, personalized treatment programs to get to the bottom of substance misuse and help you live a healthier life.

If necessary, we can start you on seizure medications with our around-the-clock care team.

If you think you could benefit from medical detox and residential care, call our enrollment team today. We are always happy to answer your questions and verify your insurance benefits. It takes just a few minutes out of your day but could have a lifelong impact.

Reach out to us today to learn more about the connection between your seizures and your drug misuse!

 

References

1. Chen, H. Y., Albertson, T. E., & Olson, K. R. (2016). Treatment of drug-induced seizures. British journal of clinical pharmacology, 81(3), 412–419.
2. Wooltorton E. (2002). Bupropion (Zyban, Wellbutrin SR): reports of deaths, seizures, serum sickness. CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l’Association medicale canadienne, 166(1), 68.
3. Chen, H. Y., Albertson, T. E., & Olson, K. R. (2016). Treatment of drug-induced seizures. British journal of clinical pharmacology, 81(3), 412–419.
4. Chen, H. Y., Albertson, T. E., & Olson, K. R. (2016). Treatment of drug-induced seizures. British journal of clinical pharmacology, 81(3), 412–419
5. Roshanaei-Moghaddam, B., & Pauly, M. C. (2014). Treatment of Methamphetamine Dependence with Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) in Iran: A Critical Note. Iranian journal of psychiatry, 9(3), 184–187.