Epilepsy Talk
Epilepsy and Electrolytes | September 12, 2019
It’s a situation often mentioned but rarely understood – the effects electrolytes have on seizures.
But a simple blood test can detect the danger of unbalanced electrolytes.
Taking extra doses of certain minerals can help to prevent side-effects that may follow the long-term use of some seizure medicines.
And taking supplements can help protect the brain (as can a B-Vitamin complex), but it’s no guarantee of seizure control, since there are a lot of different factors at play that can trigger a seizure.
But, making sure you have the right nutrients is just as important as having the right balance between all of them, so that proper electrical connections are maintained.
(NOTE: Since research of nutrient amounts are contradictory and range all over the place, I would have your doctor recommend the necessary nutrients, based on your individual blood tests.)
Here are some of the key players for electrolyte imbalances:
Sodium fluctuations in the body
Low sodium levels may be caused by medications such as diuretics or carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine (Tegretol, Carbatrol, Trileptal), by excessive water intake, or by hormonal disorders.
Altered potassium levels
Potassium can not only affect the development of the seizure type, it can also contribute to seizure susceptibility.
Depleted calcium levels
Low calcium levels most often result from kidney disease or hormonal disorders. They also may be linked to low magnesium levels.
Magnesium deficiencies
Low magnesium levels can be the result of chronic abuse of alcohol and poor nutrition. In turn, low magnesium levels can lead to seizures and can cause low calcium levels.
Disturbed levels of body water/electrolytes (mostly sodium, calcium, or magnesium).
Low or high levels of blood sugar
Reduced oxygen to the brain
Here’s how it works: Sodium, potassium, and calcium act as ions in the brain. They produce electric charges that have to fire regularly for a steady current to pass from one nerve cell in the brain to another. If the ion channels are damaged, a chemical imbalance occurs.
These abnormally misfiring nerve cells, in turn, can lead to a seizure. Especially absence seizures and many other generalized seizures.
So, it’s more than just “Take your vitamins.” Have your blood checked and confer with your doc regularly.
It’s for your own good!
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Resources:
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1528-1167.2006.00861.x
https://www.lifeextension.com/Protocols/Neurological/Epilepsy/Page-01
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4712283/
https://www.healthline.com/health/electrolyte-disorders
Tags: balance, blood sugar, Calcium, electrolytes, Epilepsy, magnesium, minerals, oxygen, potassium, seizure control, side effects, sodium, Vitamin-B
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Epilepsy Talk 
Thank you for the information! It was easy to follow and understand. Because I’ve been having a lot of seizures lately, I am always in search of explanations for the cause. This gives me another point/place where I know. I can study or research. Thank you again for your patience and understanding!
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Comment by Dr.Brenda Stanford — September 12, 2019 @ 11:50 AM
I’m glad you got something out of the article.
They’re are so many causes and effects of seizures, it truly is staggering!
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — September 12, 2019 @ 12:22 PM
Goodmorning Dr.Brenda Stanford 😃. Whatever type of doctor you maybe it ALWAYS REMINDS ME EVEN DOCTORS LIVE AND SPEAK FROM THEIR OWN LIFE!! Thank you VERY MUCH FOR BEING (almost) PAINFULLY HONEST! 😘🦅💗
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Comment by Kathy S.B — September 13, 2019 @ 11:21 AM
An I have more information please about temporal Loberctomy surgery
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Comment by A Kassardjian — September 12, 2019 @ 12:03 PM
Temporal Lobectomy: The most common surgical procedure performed for epilepsy is the removal of a portion of the temporal lobe, or temporal lobectomy.
These brain structures play an important role in the majority of temporal lobe seizures involving the seizure focus, or small area of the brain where seizures originate.
The cerebrum, or largest part of your brain, is divided into four paired sections, called lobes — the frontal, parietal, occipital and temporal.
In a temporal lobe resection, brain tissue in the temporal lobe is resected, or cut away, to remove the seizure focus.
In most cases, a mere 2 inches is removed. All or part of a left or right lobe may be removed surgically.
These areas of the brain are common sites of simple and complex partial seizures, some of which may secondarily generalize.
Seizures in the temporal, parietal, frontal or occipital lobes may be treated surgically if the seizure-producing area can be safely removed without damaging vital functions.
It is the most successful type of epilepsy surgery and over 85% of patients enjoy a marked improvement in seizure control. Most of them need less medication after surgery.
Approximately 25% of those who are seizure-free can eventually discontinue antiepileptic drugs. However, up to 15% of patients notice no improvement post-surgery.
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — September 12, 2019 @ 12:25 PM
I had the temporal lobe surgery 3 years ago, since than they have had to put a shunt in the head with a tube that goes down to the stomach for excess brain fluid. Is this common? Last year they had to replace it as it was blocked as I was having very strong headaches and pain in my legs caused by the build up of fluid in the head.Till today I suffer with headaches everyday. I have cut back on quite a few epilepsy pills. Is it normal to have these problems?
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Comment by Richard Degrassi — September 13, 2019 @ 5:22 AM
Goodmorning Phylis 😊. WOW!! I’m going to look into the vitamin B12!! That would also be something good for every physician to know as well. Maybe that could help them help those of us with epileptic issues. They put us on so many vitamins and minerals on top of our medication it makes things ever more difficult for us. I was actually starting to look into turmeric and curcumin as well. Thank you. Too bad there wasn’t one multivitamin for epileptics 😘
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Comment by Kathy S.B — September 12, 2019 @ 12:57 PM
B Complex Vitamins are the star of all vitamins. In sufficient quantities, especially those that combine B6, B12, folic acid, thiamine and biotin, they are vital to the production of numerous brain chemicals.
Like the neurotransmitters which serve as the chemical message bearers between your nervous system and brain.
The most efficient way to make use of this “brain food,” is to take it in a B complex form, since this contains all the vitamins in the B group. And when combined, they work synergistically together.
Take a single B-50 B complex tablet twice a day with food.
Each dose should contain 50 micrograms of vitamin B12 and biotin, 400 micrograms of folic acid, and 50 milligrams each of all the other B vitamins.
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — September 12, 2019 @ 1:01 PM
The funny part is whenever I ask my pharmacist which vitamins are best that I can take with my medication I am told to speak with my doctor and ask her 😳. Then when I do that with my doctor I am told to “speak with the pharmacist”. That’s when I secretly tell myself “come on Kathy perseverance is a virtue!! Then I’m quickly reminded NOW WHAT OR WHO DO I SPEAK WITH?! Lol 😂
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Comment by Kathy S.B — September 13, 2019 @ 3:34 PM
Maybe this will help Kathy:
Brain Food for Your Health…
https://epilepsytalk.com/2017/07/28/brain-food-for-your-health/
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — September 13, 2019 @ 3:48 PM
Thank you SO MUCH PHYLIS!! I WISH EVERYONE ESPECIALLY EPILEPTIC KNEW THAT!!!!!!! 😘🙏🏼🦅💗😘
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Comment by Kathy S.B — September 12, 2019 @ 3:21 PM
gosh this is crazy ironic, but I have the same last name and my sister has severe partial complex epilepsy- you aren’t in the midwest are you? Any relation to a William Johnson first born family member, sibling, cousin, or husband? All ours are like this.
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Comment by M.O.P. — September 12, 2019 @ 4:33 PM
LOL! Actually, I live in Pennsylvania and Johnson is my married name.
My Uncle’s name is William, but he doesn’t have epilepsy, nor does anyone on the Johnson side — that I know of.
Nonetheless, it’s nice to meet you M.O.P. Hope you’ll join us again! 🙂
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — September 12, 2019 @ 4:47 PM
oh ok, I see. ya, the epilepsy in our family comes from the Johnson side of the family in Indiana. My sister has it, and our cousin that is sort of a mystery to us- none of us hear from her much at all. It’s also sort of stemmed kids that have autism. So i’m not sure it’s not all connected, but not sure that it is all connected… just checking to look for more connections if I ever find them!
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Comment by M.O.P. — September 13, 2019 @ 10:27 AM
What type of blood test do I ask my doctor for? I think that should be the first step before I go out and buy all kinds of supplements, no?
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Comment by Ana Fernandez — September 12, 2019 @ 5:58 PM
Just a regular blood panel. They’ll know. (Or at least I hope they will.)
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — September 12, 2019 @ 6:06 PM
Richard, I wouldn’t call any problems normal. Nor any surgery perfect.
But, in my opinion, it sounds like this surgery may have been botched.
I would consult another neurosurgeon to see what he/she says.
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — September 13, 2019 @ 8:59 AM
Goodmorning Phylis 😃. Out of curiosity do you ever get the feeling (not on a negative note, but sincerely a thoughtful one) that sometimes everything comes down to money? Hmmm. The reason I ask is because I asked my pharmacist if taking vitamin B12, curcumin and turmeric could help or if I maybe able to take just one multivitamin instead of almost 10 or more? Thank you and please have a VERY GREAT WEEKEND AND TAKE CARE 😊🙏🏼🦅😇🐶💗😘😘
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Comment by Kathy S.B — September 13, 2019 @ 11:17 AM
Oh yes, the more the merrier. Money, I mean.
But, if you have a choice, go for the Vitamin B Complex. And make sure it has all the components in it that I mentioned.
Your pharmacist should be able to help you with that.
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — September 13, 2019 @ 2:34 PM
Hi Phyllis. Thanks for the info! I just had my bloodwork done a week ago and I noticed my physician asked for my B levels to be tested and haven’t heard back yet. I haven’t been taking B supplements, but have been taking 2000 i7 of vit d 8n the summer, and 4000 iu Vit D in the winter on the direction of my neurologist, because it may help with seizure control and replace what keppra leaches from the bones. https://www.epilepsy.com/article/2017/10/vitamin-d-and-seizure-control. I am going to check the results of my bloodwork to see if I should include vitamin B.
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Comment by Marlyn — September 13, 2019 @ 3:38 PM
You probably read what I wrote above, but if not: B Complex Vitamins are the star of all vitamins. In sufficient quantities, especially those that combine B6, B12, folic acid, thiamine and biotin, they are vital to the production of numerous brain chemicals.
Like the neurotransmitters which serve as the chemical message bearers between your nervous system and brain.
The most efficient way to make use of this “brain food,” is to take it in a B complex form, since this contains all the vitamins in the B group. And when combined, they work synergistically together.
Take a single B-50 B complex tablet twice a day with food.
Each dose should contain 50 micrograms of vitamin B12 and biotin, 400 micrograms of folic acid, and 50 milligrams each of all the other B vitamins.
See what your doc thinks, that’s most important of all.
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — September 13, 2019 @ 3:45 PM
Thanks Phyllis, I did read it. Have you ever considered publishing a book? You are a wealth of information!
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Comment by Marlyn — September 14, 2019 @ 1:53 AM
I am a writer and have been for 40 years.
I used to write advertising, then went freelance and my last gig of 10 years was writing about Health & Wellness.
All the research involved stood me in good stead to begin the articles here.
Epilepsy Talk is my “retirement” and a true labor of love.
But I don’t think I’ve got a book in me. It’s too complicated with permission slips, footnotes and all kinds of legal clearances when you’re writing a scientific book.
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — September 14, 2019 @ 10:27 AM
THANK YOU 🙏🏼😘😘😘😘😘🦅😇😇❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
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Comment by Kathy S.B — September 13, 2019 @ 6:04 PM
Woow! Thank you for this infornation. My son is 12 yeaes old recently diagnosed with idiopathic generalised epilepsy. He is on epillim 400mg twice a day. I’ve been looking for supplements for him. I’ve asked for the bllod panel test from his neurologist. For a child of his age can i use the same supllements?
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Comment by Linda — September 14, 2019 @ 1:06 AM
I’m not sure. You should definitely ask your pharmacist about age, weight and metabolism.
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — September 14, 2019 @ 10:20 AM
My doctor put me on a FODMAP diet for digestive problems. After a week or so it became clear that this was not a good thing, seizure activity was way up. Turns out that FODMAP is a low magnesium diet. No one said, “Take supplements.” I stopped the diet and my head returned to its normal state. (Also started taking magnesium again.)
It’s looking as if what I eat and what I take as supplements gives a level of probability / possibility of seizures. If I take this, the probability goes up. If I eat that, it goes down. After extensive research – the medical profession has not been helpful or even particularly useful – I am learning to balance my nutritional needs, brain and body.
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Comment by HoDo — September 16, 2019 @ 10:48 AM
HoDo, this may help:
Three Anti-Seizure Diets That Could Change Your Life…
https://epilepsytalk.com/2018/02/15/three-anti-seizure-diets-that-could-change-your-life/
Fighting Seizures Nutritionally
https://epilepsytalk.com/2018/10/06/fighting-seizures-nutritionally/
Brain Food for Your Health…
https://epilepsytalk.com/2017/07/28/brain-food-for-your-health/
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — September 16, 2019 @ 11:39 AM
For years I have always taken a B complex, plus recently I take more B-12 & 6 supplement, but you can get too much of the B-6. I know that 1 BANANA can give you your daily B’s that you mostly need but the in the past 3 or more years bananas have been given toxic sprays or been injected toxins into them to keep them from ripening too fast in their shipments to the USA. Now you can find a HARD green peel on a banana & the banana is ripe & soft to eat. Nutritionist now are claiming that the green peels stage and a hard firmness to touch, is the best time to eat bananas & they are 100% full benefit of getting all the B’s they have at that stage. When they get softer & change colors with yellow & brown happening, then is when the toxins get absorbed into that banana. I learned this the hard way of course as I noticed when I had more YELLOW than green in the peel, I would have seizure activity, & times I ate 1 with more YELLOW than BROWN in the peel I noticed the seizure activity was more aggressive, so I said NO WAY will I ever eat a banana, which now has been over 3 years. So I am not saying all who have seizures can never eat a banana, just see how your brain responds or reacts from eating a banana in its ”’different stages”’ from GREEN to BROWN with yellow more so than less. Look for green peels where that banana is still HARD, & when it is soft with a green peel you may detect & notice your brain activity more if you eat that banana. Another problem with fruit are those ”Artic Apples” that never brown or tan after the are sliced up & left out after 3 to 10 minutes as they stay that same color when you cut into them.
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Comment by James D — July 9, 2020 @ 3:46 PM
Wow James, thanks for the banana tip. I love bananas but, of course, wait until they appear “ripe” to eat them.
A lesson learned for my next trip to the grocery.
Thanks again.
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — July 9, 2020 @ 4:28 PM
Noooo !!!! they are safer to eat when they are GREEN say a light green, and the latest time to eat them is when they START to turn some YELLOW in the peel. Once they are 50-50 Yellow & Green, they are starting to become more toxic from the sprays they had sprayed on them. Most YELLOW with GREEN or YELLOW & BROWN starts on them, forget it.
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Comment by James D — March 20, 2021 @ 8:32 PM
Ooops. Thanks James, for the clarification.
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Comment by Phylis Feiner Johnson — March 21, 2021 @ 10:06 AM