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Have you ever had a breakthrough seizure? This can be frustrating and confusing. After long periods of seizure freedom, these events can knock your confidence.
You may have a lot of questions about breakthrough seizures. Why do they happen? Will you now have more seizures? What does it mean for your treatment plan?
If you have had a breakthrough seizure, talk with your physician about it.
In this article, you’ll learn about some of the possible causes of breakthrough seizures. This article is intended as general information, not as medical advice - always speak to a physician when you have questions about your personal situation.
What is a breakthrough seizure?
A breakthrough seizure is when you have a seizure after you haven’t had one for an extended period of time while being treated for epilepsy. It’s usually considered to be after 12 months of seizure freedom. Over a third of people who achieve seizure freedom will have a breakthrough seizure at some point.
In a recent study, 45% participants had at least one more seizure after a first breakthrough seizure. However, most people then return to extended periods of seizure freedom.
What are the causes of breakthrough seizures?
There are many different reasons you might have a breakthrough seizure. Here are some of the possible causes of breakthrough seizures (remember, there may be other causes too):
- Forgetting to take your medication
This may be the top reason that people might have breakthrough seizures, according to one study. If you forget to take your anti seizure medication (ASM), there may not be enough of it in your body to protect you from seizures.
- Being tired
Having poor sleep is another major reason people have breakthrough seizures, according to the same study - this was mentioned by over a third of people. Being very tired can affect your brain’s activity - read this article on sleep to learn more.
- Stress
If you’re feeling anxious and stressed, then this could also make it more likely you may have a breakthrough seizure. Again, the study found that over one third of people said this was a cause of their breakthrough seizures. Stress affects how people’s brains work, and could trigger a seizure. Read this article on stress management for more information.
- Drug interactions
Many different medications and drugs (including alcohol and caffeine) can affect your brain activity or the levels of anti-epilepsy medication in your bloodstream. That can then make them less effective, and mean people may have a breakthrough seizure, according to research. Read our article on drug interactions here.
- Your personal treatment history
Research suggests that people who took longer to get diagnosed or who took longer to find a suitable epilepsy treatment, may be more likely to have breakthrough seizures.
- Infections
If you have a high fever while you’re seizure free, this could also trigger a breakthrough seizure. Having an infection is reportedly the most common cause of breakthrough seizures among children, per one study.
While these are believed to be some of the more common causes of breakthrough seizures, doctors often don’t know why they happen.
Triggers: 7 seizure triggers to be aware of
Seeing your physician after having a breakthrough seizure
After having a breakthrough seizure, it’s important to schedule an appointment with your physician. They may want to do an examination and try to figure out the cause. Everyone’s different, but the doctor might recommend the following kinds of things:
- Finding new ways to help you remember to take medication - you can use the Epsy app to set up reminders and to log when you’ve taken a medication
- Changing the dose of seizure medicine
- Lifestyle changes could also be part of the solution - finding ways to manage stress, reduce alcohol consumption and sleeping better may help
Outlook after a breakthrough seizure
Having a breakthrough seizure can be really distressing - you might feel like you’ve gone ‘back to square one’. This is totally understandable, but statistics show that many people can return to extended periods of seizure freedom after having a breakthrough seizure.
Your doctor can provide advice for your situation. By recording any events in the Epsy app, setting reminders, and discussing simple lifestyle changes with your doctor, you may feel more confident going forward.
