Do seizures always have triggers?

Sometimes people think just because a situation happened once or twice, it’s a trigger to all their seizures. It’s important to realize that a trigger is something that occurs fairly consistently before seizures and more often than by chance.

Can stress trigger an epileptic seizure?

Stress, anxiety, and other mood disorders can trigger seizures, but these are fairly common among people with epilepsy. If you are frequently stressed, talk to your physician or a mental health professional to see if you have a treatable mood disorder or to discuss ways to lower your stress levels.

How often do you have seizures with epilepsy?

About 6 out of 10 people diagnosed with epilepsy can become seizure free within a few years with proper treatment. Many of these people will never have any more seizures. For the rest of the people, some will have occasional breakthrough seizures or side effects of medicines and others will have uncontrolled seizures.

Can epilepsy be triggered later in life?

Epilepsy and seizures can develop in any person at any age. Seizures and epilepsy are more common in young children and older people. About 1 in 100 people in the U.S. has had a single unprovoked seizure or has been diagnosed with epilepsy.

What is a stress seizure?

Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures, previously known as pseudoseizures, usually have a psychological cause, such as severe mental stress. However, they do not involve changes to electrical impulses in the brain.

What can cause multiple seizures in a day?

Triggers

• Skipping your epilepsy medication.
• Illness, especially with a fever.
• Sleep loss.
• Stress.
• Using alcohol or recreational drugs.
• Your period.

Do seizures always mean epilepsy?

Does having a seizure mean you have epilepsy? Seizures are not always related to epilepsy. They can be a symptom of a disruption of brain function, such as from a high fever, a head injury or lack of oxygen.

Can you have seizures without being epileptic?

Some people experience symptoms similar to those of an epileptic seizure but without any unusual electrical activity in the brain. When this happens it is known as a non-epileptic seizure (NES). NES is most often caused by mental stress or a physical condition.