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What Vitamin Deficiency Causes Seizures

Vitamin D3 In The Brain And Nervous System

B12 deficiency & Seizures

Among its variety of health benefits, Vitamin D3 plays an important role in the human brain and nervous system, as indicated by increasing evidence gathered over the past several decades. Researchers have explored the role of Vitamin D3 in Alzheimers disease and dementias , Parkinsons disease , multiple sclerosis , schizophrenia , affective disorders , cognitive decline , and epilepsy . Vitamin D3 is also involved in neuroprotection , brain cell proliferation and differentiation , and brain development . A neurological role of Vitamin D3 is further supported by the presence of Vitamin D3-specific receptors and enzymes in neurons and glial cells throughout the brain, in the spinal cord, and in the peripheral nervous system . The broad role of Vitamin D3 in the nervous system has engendered research into Vitamin D3s anticonvulsant action in the brain, and the proposed mechanisms of action can generally be categorized as either genomic or non-genomic.

Design And Study Groups

The study was conducted from 2016 to 2019 at Kendron neurological clinic in Biaystok. The eligibility criteria were as follows: adult patients who had suffered from epilepsy for at least 1 year. The recruitment process was conducted on a continuous basis through the Kendron neurological clinic, media advertisements , and health center advertisements aimed at epileptic patients from the city of Biaystok. During the study, mentally ill patients were supported by caregivers. Of the 70 patients who volunteered to participate in the study, 10 had incomplete records due to inability to take part in the body composition analysis . Eventually, the study group included 60 epileptic patients aged 1873years . A flowchart of the epileptic participants is provided in Fig. .

Fig. 1

Flowchart of the epileptic and healthy participants. *Calculations were performed according to the Register of Statistics Poland

Table 1 Characteristics of the study group vs. a healthy control

Data on age, employment, body measurements and vitamin D supplementation were also collected.

Body measurements such as height and body mass were obtained by personnel trained in standard procedures. Body mass index was calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters.

STROBE guidelines for case-control research were followed in designing and reporting this study.

What Factors Cause Low Levels Of Minerals In The Body

Mineral deficiency is rare unless there is severe general malnutrition, but the following factors may affect mineral levels in the body:

  • Low sodium levels may be caused by medications such as diuretics or carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine , by excessive water intake, or by hormonal disorders.
  • Low calcium levels most often result from kidney disease or hormonal disorders. They also may be linked to low magnesium levels.
  • Low magnesium levels can be the result of chronic abuse of alcohol and poor nutrition. Low magnesium levels can lead to seizures and also can cause low calcium levels.

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What Vitamin Is Good For Seizures

Vitamin B6, magnesium, vitamin E, manganese, taurine, dimethylglycine, and omega-3 fatty acids are among the nutrients that may reduce seizure frequency. Thiamine administration may have an effect on epilepsy patients. For women taking anticonvulsants, Vitamin K1 has been recommended near the end of pregnancy. Melatonin, progesterone, may be helpful to women with epicyclic exacerbations of seizures. In the majority of cases, nutritional therapy is not a substitute for anticonsvulsant drugs. Vitamin B6 and magnesium may be required to prevent or treat deficiencies resulting from the use of anticonsulsant drugs.

Can Vitamin B12 Deficiency Cause Seizures

A quick guide to seizures in cats and dogs

Involuntary movements and seizures are rarely the first signs of Vitamin B12 deficiency. Seizures disappeared within days or weeks electroencephalographic results were normalized in a few months. In addition to Vitamin B 12, antiepileptics were added to vitamin B12. The signs disappeared within days or a few weeks electroencephalonic tests were normalized in fewer than ten months. Seizure disappeared within days or days. weeks. Seismic seizures usually disappeared within weeks or weeks. Vitamin B12 did not appear in isolated instances, but in a few unusual situations.

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Dietary Deficiency Of Vitamin B6

The case of new onset of seizures described in this report was successfully treated with small doses of pyridoxine . A hypothesis for this case is that the patient had insufficient dietary intake due to anepithymia following the fall and pelvic fracture which was evident by weight loss . Insufficient dietary intakes may cause vitamin B6 deficiency which subsequently induces seizures. Gerlach and colleagues reported three cases of refractory seizures consequent to vitamin B6 deficiency which may be aggravated by alcoholism or liver disease . Low PLP concentration in those patients may occur over time owing to a dietary deficiency coupled with intact aldehyde oxidase activity.

Vitamin Deficiencies And Epilepsy

There is evidence that vitamin deficiencies could affect people with epilepsy in certain ways.

  • Lack of vitamin B6 and epilepsy: There is evidence that a lack of vitamin B6 in newborn babies with a rare type of epilepsy may make their seizures hard to control. Doctors may choose to give these babies additional vitamin B6 through a drip.
  • Vitamin D deficiency and epilepsy: One study from 2012 with people who had a vitamin D deficiency found that making sure they got enough of the vitamin led to a reduction in how many seizures they had.
  • Vitamin B9 and AEDs: Some people who take certain anti-epileptic drugs may have a deficiency in vitamin B9 because the medication makes it harder for their bodies to absorb the vitamin.

This doesnât necessarily affect seizures, but it can have other health effects. If you donât have enough folate during pregnancy, it can affect your babyâs health. So pregnant women are often encouraged to take vitamin B9 supplements.

Related: Are there any foods to avoid with epilepsy?

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Acupuncture And Chiropractic Care

Acupuncture and chiropractic treatments are sometimes considered alternatives to conventional epilepsy treatment.

The exact way acupuncture helps isnt understood, but the ancient Chinese practice is used to help ease chronic pain and other medical issues. Its thought that by placing fine needles in specific parts of the body, practitioners help the body heal itself.

Acupuncture may change brain activity to reduce seizures. One hypothesis is that acupuncture may keep epilepsy in check by increasing parasympathetic tone and changing autonomic dysfunction.

The practice sounds good in theory. But there isnt scientific evidence to prove that acupuncture is an effective epilepsy treatment.

Spinal manipulations in chiropractic care may also help the body heal itself. Some chiropractors use specific manipulations to help control seizures on a regular basis. Like acupuncture, chiropractic care isnt widely viewed as an effective form of epilepsy treatment.

Causes Of Vitamin B6 Deficiency

Avoid Vitamin D3 deficiency in Epilepsy/Seizures and how to get it Naturally

Because vitamin B6 is present in many foods, the deficiency rarely results from inadequate intake except in severe malnutrition. However, deficiency can also occur, because extensive processing can remove vitamin B6 from foods.

Vitamin B6 deficiency often results from

). People with this disorder do not consume enough vitamin B6.

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What Are The Benefits Of Thiamine

Thiamine plays an important role in helping your body function well. Some of the biggest benefits of thiamine include:

  • Nervous system. Thiamin helps prevent complications in the nervous system, brain, muscles, heart, stomach, and intestines.
  • Electrolytes. It is also involved in the flow of electrolytes into and out of muscle and nerve cells.
  • Disease. It helps prevent beriberi diseases, which involve disorders of the heart, nerves, and digestive system.
  • Energy. Thiamine is considered a form of vitamin B that is water-soluble. It helps to convert what you eat and drink into energy or glucose.
  • Organs. Thiamine vitamins are necessary for keeping the liver, skin, hair, and eyes healthy. They also play a role in the nervous system and are needed for good brain function.
  • Stress. The B vitamins are sometimes called anti-stress vitamins because they boost the bodyâs immune system during stressful times.

Levodopa/carbidopa Intestinal Gel Infusion

Skodda and Müller reported a cachectic case of seizures after the initiation of treatment with Levodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel infusion . Vitamin B6 level in serum was markedly reduced . The seizures ceased within 2 days of pyridoxine treatment and her serum pyridoxine level was normal after successful treatment. A relationship between vitamin B6 deficiency and LCIG therapy was suspected because of the chronological sequence of increasing LCIG dosage and the first manifestation of seizures although mechanisms by which how LCIG therapy might influence vitamin B6 levels are not clear. Vitamin B6 deficiency might be also aggravated by suboptimal dietary intakes in the case as her BMI was only 15.8.

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Can Vitamin B12 Help Seizures

It wouldn’t be until a few weeks later that my youngest sister had seen enough of how unusual I was behaving with gaps where I was sitting around in the recliner and ignoring what was going around me and looking gray and sickly), that she took the bottle of the orange capsules in my prescription bottle–that I had mentioned when we picked it up on Memorial day weekend–rather than the usual color of the capsules. The pharmacist at the pharmacy that she went to immediately told her that they were not but rather some form of high blood pressure medicine .

I know B vitamins help your body deal with stress a lot better ,and stress is a trigger for seizures .B12 deficiency is very rare unless your diet is really bad or you don’t eat cereals that are fortified with b12 and folate b12 is stored in the liver and the body keeps b12 for 2- 4years. If your thinking to supplement with b vitamins make sure you take the full range of b vitamins together as they need each other to work effectively in the body also be mindful certain b vitamins can be harmful if taken in large amounts and can cause nerve damage.

It depends upon whether B12 deficiency is a trigger for you. Read this link to research summary from the US National Library of Medicine on this:.

More details are available from some of the reliable sources amidst this general search that I did on Google:

Do Vitamin Deficiencies Cause Or Worsen Seizures

Epilepsy &  Vitamin D

The only vitamin deficiency known to cause or worsen seizures is a deficiency of vitamin B6 . This deficiency occurs mainly in newborns and infants and causes seizures that are hard to control. In some cases, the doctor may give the baby the vitamin through an IV while recording the EEG. If the EEG improves dramatically, that shows that there is a B6 deficiency. Some doctors may also try vitamin B6 in older children with difficult-to-control seizures, but there is no solid evidence that it will be helpful.

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Vitamin D3 In Human Epilepsy

People with epilepsy are often Vitamin D3-deficient, along with having decreased bone density and higher rates of osteoporosis . Furthermore, certain AEDs, such as carbamazepine and phenytoin, are known to decrease Vitamin D3 levels in people who are taking them due to increased metabolic clearance of Vitamin D3 and conversion to inactive forms . People with epilepsy face a sixfold risk for bone fracture compared to the normal population, likely an interplay between frequent falls, reduced bone density, and low levels of Vitamin D3 . Maternal Vitamin D3 deficiency during pregnancy has also been associated with hypocalcemia-induced seizures in neonates, which have been successfully treated with calcium and Vitamin D3 supplementation in several case studies .

Therapeutic Doses Of Isoniazid

Isonicotinic acid hydrazide is an effective and widely used medication in tuberculosis treatment. Severe acute neurotoxicity of INH overdose is characterised by recurrent seizures, profound metabolic acidosis, coma and even death . INH is thought to cause seizures by interfering with -aminobutyric acid synthesis. Specifically, INH inhibits glutamic acid decarboxylase by inhibiting pyridoxal 5 phosphate, a co-factor for glutamic acid decarboxylase enzyme. The consequent reduction in GABA levels increases susceptibility to seizures.

In addition to INH overdose, therapeutic doses of INH have been reported to induce seizures which were successfully treated with pyridoxine . It is important to be aware that possible isoniazid neurotoxicity may occur in patients with chronic renal failure or even in healthy individuals when recommended preventive doses of isoniazid are used.

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Vitamin B6 Deficiency And Seizures

As mentioned, the active form of vitamin B6, i.e., PLP – a coenzyme that is necessary for the synthesis and metabolism of amino acids, is an important cofactor for many processes including neurotransmitter formation. Specially, PLP is an essential factor in the process of decarboxylation of glutamine into Gamma-Animobutytic Acid , a major inhibitory neurotransmitter. A deficiency of PLP leads to decreased GABA concentration in the brain, thereby increasing the risk for seizures .

Seizures caused by vitamin B6 deficiency was first described in 1954 by Hunt et al . They reported a case of a newborn with pharmacoresistant seizures that eventually came under control after treatment with a multivitamin preparation and subsequently deduced that pyridoxine was the factor responsible for controlling the infant’s epileptic seizures. The disorder has been known as pyridoxine-dependent seizures or pyridoxine-dependent epilepsy. Since then, more than 100 cases of neonatal pyridoxine-dependent seizures have been reported worldwide . More recently, mutations in the ALDH7A1 gene which encodes the protein antiquitin, an aldehyde dehydrogenase that functions within the cerebral lysine catabolism pathway, were found to be responsible for the biochemical abnormalities underlying PDS .

Should I Take Extra Minerals

Warning signs, risks of Vitamin D deficiency

Persons with epilepsy very seldom need to take extra sodium, calcium, or magnesium for seizure control. If your doctor finds that you have low levels in your body and no underlying disorder is identified, it may be reasonable to change your diet or take a mineral supplement. Taking extra doses of certain minerals can help to prevent side effects that may follow the long-term use of some seizure medicines. Check the specific information about the medicines you take to see if this applies to you.

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Severe Hypocalcemia And Resulting Seizure Caused By Vitamin D Deficiency In An Older Patient Receiving Phenytoin: Eldecalcitol And Maxacalcitol Ointment As Potential Therapeutic Options For Hypocalcemia

Atsumi Harada

1Kidney Center, Matsuyama Red Cross Hospital, Japan

2Department of Medicine and Clinical Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan

3Department of Nephrology, Nara Medical University, Nara, Japan

Abstract

An 82-year-old man treated with phenytoin for the prevention of symptomatic epilepsy was hospitalized to treat consciousness disturbance, seizure, and hypocalcemia . Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level was very low , whereas serum calcitriol level was normal and serum intact parathyroid hormone level was increased . He was finally diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency associated with low sunlight exposure and long-term phenytoin use for symptomatic epilepsy: phenytoin is shown to accelerate catabolism of 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Combination treatment with eldecalcitol and maxacalcitol ointments successfully normalized corrected serum calcium level: both eldecalcitol and maxacalcitol are vitamin D receptor activators used for osteoporosis and psoriasis, respectively. Our case illustrates the importance of periodic serum calcium level monitoring in patients receiving anti-epileptic drugs and the usefulness of eldecalcitol and maxacalcitol ointment as a therapeutic option for hypocalcemia, especially in countries where native vitamin D and 25-hydroxyvitamin D are not available.

1. Background

2. Case Presentation

Reference range
Urinary phosphate 22.6mg/dL

3. Discussion

Data Availability

Consent

Conflicts of Interest

Can Dehydration Cause A Seizure

Becoming extremely dehydrated defined by the World Health Organization as losing more than 10 percent of your body weight in fluid can lead to injury or fatal complications, and it requires an ER visit. Seizures, cardiac arrhythmia, or hypovolemic shock can occur because your blood volume is too low.

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Can Vitamins Herbs Or Amino Acids Help To Treat Seizures

Research studies have been unable to confirm the reports of people who have appeared to respond to these substances. Isolated reports of a few cases can be misleading. We shouldn’t ignore promising therapies, but people with epilepsy would be wise not to embrace a treatment until there is some solid proof that it works. Most nutritional supplements are, in effect, medications. Probably most of them have no real effect on seizure control, but they can have side effects and some may be dangerous.

Vitamin D And Epilepsy

Deficiency of Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) â daneelyunus

Vitamin D and seizure control

Vitamin D has been studied for decades for its role in many functions in the body. Known as the sunshine vitamin, sunshine remains the best source of receiving Vit. D. Dietary sources include meat, fish, dairy products, and, interestingly, mushrooms. People who have little exposure to the sun are at increased risk for a Vit. D deficiency. Dark-skinned individuals are also at higher risk because the melanin in their skin blocks sun penetration. Some anti-seizure medications interfere with how Vit. D is processed in the body. Supplemental Vit. D may be necessary for people who have these risk factors.

In addition to potential seizure control, there is preliminary evidence that Vit. D may also play a role in Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy . In a large Cardiovascular Health study of 2300 people, sudden cardiac death was twice as high as in those with Vit. D levels below 20ng/dl than those with levels above 20ng/dl.

The Charlie Foundation recommends that everyone who has epilepsy get their 25-Hydroxy Vit. D level checked. This is a chart that compares levels.

Vitamin D Levels 25 Hydroxy D
Deficient

Multiply ng/mL by 2.5 to convert to nmol/liter Source: Mayo Clinic

References:

Hollo A. et.al. Correction of vitamin D deficiency improves seizure control in epilepsy: a pilot study. Epilepsy Behavior 24:131-3.

Reviwed 08/15/2019 BZK

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