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Have you ever experienced a seizure while living with diabetes? Seizures cause convulsions and a loss of consciousness. They can be scary, especially if you’ve never had one before. In some cases, seizures may be linked to epilepsy.
Members of DiabetesTeam sometimes discuss the challenges of managing diabetes while also dealing with epilepsy. One member shared, “Just back in the hospital due to my epilepsy flaring up: Blood sugar is 3.1 mmol/L (millimoles per liter) and I’m in the hospital.” Another replied, “My sugar levels are not good. Having epilepsy and trying to also deal with diabetes is hard.”
Research suggests there may be a link between diabetes and epilepsy, but some people with diabetes may have seizures that aren’t related to epilepsy. Read on to learn more about the relationship between these conditions.
About one-quarter of people with diabetes will experience some type of seizure. This may be related to either high blood sugar or low blood sugar, but could also happen for other reasons.
When your blood sugar drops too low, it’s called hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia happens when your blood sugar falls below 70 mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter) or 3.9 mmol/L (millimoles per liter). When this happens, you may experience symptoms such as dizziness, sweating, and shaking. Severe hypoglycemia can also lead to seizures, convulsions, or loss of consciousness.
If you have a seizure due to low blood sugar levels, seek emergency care immediately. Once your hypoglycemia is treated, your seizures should go away.
“It’s been a week since my sugar went so low that I had a seizure and was rushed to the hospital by ambulance,” one DiabetesTeam member said. Another replied, “I also have been rushed to the ER with seizures about four times … I had no clue at the time, as it took a while for doctors to realize my seizures were from low sugar levels.”
It’s also possible (but less common) to have seizures with hyperglycemia (high blood sugar). Hyperglycemia happens when your blood glucose levels rise above 180 mg/dL or 10 mmol/L. With high blood sugar, you’re more likely to have focal seizures than general seizures. While general seizures affect your whole body, focal seizures only impact one side of your body.
“Still recovering from a seizure with a high sugar level of 500,” one member said about their hyperglycemia-related seizure. Another replied, “At the time of my seizure, my blood sugar was close to 900.”
If you experience seizures due to blood sugar changes, you may not necessarily have epilepsy. Not all seizures happen because of epilepsy. Epileptic seizures happen at random, not due to a trigger. If your seizures are triggered by high or low blood sugar, then they’re not classified as epileptic seizures. They’re instead referred to as “provoked seizures,” which means they were brought on by a trigger.
Blood sugar changes aren’t the only factors that can trigger a seizure in people without epilepsy. Seizures may also happen due to stress, lack of sleep, fevers, flashing lights, and taking certain medications.
All seizures should be taken very seriously. Contact your doctor if you’re having seizures due to blood sugar changes or for any other reason. If they find that your seizures are linked to blood glucose levels, they can help you get your diabetes under control to prevent future seizures.
Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that affects about 1 in every 26 people in their lifetime. It happens when the brain releases abnormal electrical surges, causing repeated seizures. Some people are diagnosed with epilepsy as children, but that’s not always the case. People over age 65 are often diagnosed with epilepsy as well. Epilepsy can develop after someone has other health problems, such as a stroke. It’s usually treated with antiepileptic drugs (AEDs).
Studies show that people with diabetes are twice as likely to be diagnosed with epilepsy than those without it. The risk of being diagnosed with epilepsy rises as people with diabetes get older. This may be due to diabetes complications, such as stroke, vascular problems, or heart disease, which often happen in older people with diabetes.
In addition, people with epilepsy have a higher risk of developing diabetes than those in the general population. One study found that people with epilepsy who weren’t taking AEDs had a significantly higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Part of the overlap between the two conditions may be due to shared risk factors.
There are several factors that can lead to an increased risk of developing both epilepsy and diabetes. These shared risk factors include:
Having any of these potential risk factors doesn’t mean you’ll develop diabetes, epilepsy, or both. But it does mean you could be at higher risk for these conditions. Make sure you see your healthcare provider often to monitor your health.
If you’ve been diagnosed with both epilepsy and diabetes, your care team will work together to develop a treatment plan that aims to control both conditions.
For diabetes, this may include taking insulin to manage your diabetes and getting a glucose monitor to evaluate your blood sugar levels at home. For epilepsy, your doctor is likely to prescribe an antiepileptic medication (AED), which is usually the first treatment option. In severe cases, your neurology provider may also suggest surgery or specific devices to help control your seizures.
Because some AEDs can affect blood glucose levels, it’s important to let all of your providers know which conditions you have and which medications you’re taking. That way, they can ensure that the treatment you’re taking for one condition won’t make the other one worse.
If you have diabetes and you’re concerned about epilepsy, speak with an endocrinologist. They may refer you to a neurologist, who can evaluate you for seizure disorders.
Any seizure should be reported to a medical professional immediately, whether it’s caused by epilepsy or not. Staying on top of your care — and making sure all of your symptoms and medical conditions are well managed — is one of the best ways to protect your overall health.
On DiabetesTeam, people share their experiences with diabetes, get advice, and find support from others who understand.
Are you living with both diabetes and epilepsy, or another seizure disorder? Let others know in the comments below.
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