diet and seizures - Epilepsy Message Board

JanieS · 10-26-2003, 01:45 PM

Hi y'all,

I've read this site before, but I just registered and starting posting today.

I'm really interested if anyone has noticed if any particular foods or vitamens make their seizures better or worse. I know there's the ketogenic diet for kids, but I guess that's not really something that adults can follow.

This is what I've learned so far:
1) aspertame (nutra sweet) is BAD, it lowers seizure threshold. So no more diet coke.
2) excess alcohol is bad.
3) you guys are saying that peanuts are helpful for some people, I'm going to try that.
4) if estrogen is bad for seizures, it's probably a not a good idea to eat soy products.
5) drinking a lot of caffeine is bad, it's been proven to lower seizure threshold. But I don't know if that means no caffeine, or if just means don't drink a pot of coffee.

That's it for my fund of knowledge.

Any tips?

jamieileana · 10-26-2003, 02:06 PM

hi there!
i am fairly new here too but am no stranger to seizures.

i have the photo sensitive kind from strobe light effects that can make me have the big S.

though that is the only time that i have them, unlike some others i have been very fortunate in that sense.

my experience is that i have never ever had problems eating, drinking, smelling, hearing or anything of the sort that brought on seizures.

i know that some people do, and it is an individual thing.

i am 46 and i have been on estrogen therapy for about two years now.

if anything i think it is progesterone that can cause them or add to them or lower the threshold.

excuse me if i am wrong on that, because i have never ever heard of estrogen lowering our threshold for s's.

i could be wrong though. as for the other stuff, well i drink my diet coke, no one is taking that away from me, and i add a splash of regular coke to kill off the diet coke taste.

i don't drink it alot anyway cause i've heard the phosophas (sp)? is bad for your bones.

anyway...i'm sure there are some on this board who cannot intake certain foods, but for me i've never had a problem (knocking on wood).

i think if you have not had problems in the past, i would not worry about it too much.

if you are having problems then it would be worth a trial and error to see if anything affects you.

welcome aboard, and the people here are great!