Herbal Remedies, Dietary Supplements, and Seizures

Abstract

Summary:The use of herbal remedies and dietary supplements is widespread throughout the world, and use may be increasing. These are taken for a wide range of perceived benefits, such as energy and memory enhancement and treatment of specific conditions. Individuals with and without epilepsy may use these substances and may not inform their treating physician unless specifically asked. Inquiry about herbal medicine and dietary supplement intake should now be part of routine clinical history taking. Anecdotal accounts suggest that some herbal substances may have anticonvulsant effect, but randomised double-blind controlled trails are lacking. Alternatively many herbals and dietary supplements may predispose to seizures in individuals without epilepsy and worsen seizure control in those with epilepsy. In this article, we review the potential anticonvulsant and proconvulsant effects of herbal remedies and dietary supplements and discuss the potential interaction between these herbal substances and conventional anticonvulsant medications.

Status Epilepticus Associated with Borage Oil Ingestion

“…New-onset seizures have been reported to occur in patients taking CAM when no other cause has been found [2]. We report a case of status epilepticus associated with the ingestion of borage oil.…”

“…Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use has increased significantly in the past few decades [1,2].…”

“…This creates a potential for adverse effects as many herbal and dietary supplements are known to have interactions with prescription medications. Inappropriate use of CAM may induce seizures among individuals predisposed to epilepsy, or worsen seizure control in those with a known seizure disorder [2].…”

Combined Effects of Ephedrine-Containing Dietary Supplements, Caffeine, and Nicotine on Morphology and Ultrastructure of Rat Hearts

“…As a result of their sympathomimetic activity, Ephedra-containing supplements have been linked to a host of serious adverse health effects, including heart attack, stroke, seizures, psychosis, hepatotoxicity, and death. 2,[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] In 2004, due to an increased risk of adverse health effects, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declared Ephedra-containing supplements adulterated. 13 Accordingly, these products were removed from the market.…”

Anticonvulsant activity of thymoquinone and its structural analogues

“…Some of these products may be anticonvulsant and thus of possible benefi t in patients with epilepsy. There are more studies that report anti-seizure activity of a nonallopathic preparation with animal models of epilepsy (Tyagi & Delanty, 2003). Evidence for the pharmacological effect of these components on experimental tests has been provided (De Sousa et al, 2006;De Almeida et al, 2008).…”