Status Epilepticus - Causes

Causes

Only 25% of people who experience seizures or status epilepticus have epilepsy. Causes include:

• Stroke
• Hemorrhage
• Intoxicants or adverse reactions to drugs
• Insufficient dosage of a medication already prescribed to the patient, such causes of this include:
  • Forgetfulness on the part of the patient in taking scheduled doses, or failure to take doses at the scheduled times
  • Taking medicine at wrong times as a result of a time zone change while traveling
  • Dislike of the medication or its side effects
• Sudden withdrawal from a seizure medication, such causes include:
  • Sudden lack of access to medication due to unexpected circumstances
  • Benzodiazepine withdrawal syndrome resulting from inability to acquire non-prescribed benzodiazepines that were used being abused.
  • Lack of ability of patient to communicate medication needs to others, leading to absence of doses
  • Physician's decision to discontinue medication
• Consumption of alcoholic beverages while on an anticonvulsant, or alcohol withdrawal
• Dieting or fasting while on an anticonvulsant
• Starting on a new medication that reduces the effectiveness of the anticonvulsant or changes drug metabolism, decreasing its half-life, leading to decreased blood concentrations
• Developing a resistance to an anticonvulsant already being used
• Gastroenteritis while on an anticonvulsant, because the digestive system may force out the anticonvulsant, thereby rendering the body with a lack of protection
• Developing a new, unrelated condition in which seizures are coincidentally also a symptom, but are not controlled by an anticonvulsant already used
• Metabolic disturbances—such as affected kidney and liver
• Insomnia or sleep deprivation of more than a short duration is often the cause of a (usually, but not always, temporary) loss of seizure control; those whose seizures are inherently severe but otherwise controlled by medication can regress and suffer severe seizures or status epilepticus even if they are still taking their medication unless they regain their rest.