Effects of other things on epilepsy treatment

• Prescribed medicines
• Over-the-counter medicines, supplements and essential oils
• Grapefruit juice and pomegranate juice

Prescribed medicines

Some medicines used for other things than epilepsy may increase your risk of having seizures. These medicines include many of the antidepressants, some types of antihistamines, some antibiotics and some anti-malaria treatments. This increased risk of seizures could be because the drugs interact with your anti-epileptic drugs. Or it could be because they lower your resistance to seizures.

Over-the-counter medicines, supplements and essential oils

Many herbal medicines and supplements can increase the risk of seizures if you have epilepsy. Some examples are ephedra, ginkgo biloba, pennyroyal, wormwood, Saint John’s Wort, shankhpushpi and shoseiryuto.

Some essential oils can also increase the risk of seizures if you have epilepsy. Some examples are sage, rosemary, wormwood, fennel and hyssop.

If you are thinking about using any kind of over-the-counter medicine,  supplement, or essential oil, it’s advisable to check them out with your pharmacist or family doctor. They can let you know if there are any reasons why they might affect your epilepsy.

Grapefruit juice and pomegranate juice

Grapefruit juice and pomegranate juice can make the anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs)  carbamazepine, diazepam and midazolam work less well than they should. If you take any of these AEDs, it is advisable to not drink grapefruit juice or pomegranate juice. It is only the juice that affects AEDs, not the fruits themselves.