Avm's and alcohol

Does anyone know if it is safe to have alcohol if you have already had a bleed from an avm? My daughter is at an age where she is going to parties etc, and wanting to do typical teenage things. She had a bleed from her avm in April last year and is now awaiting Gamma Knife. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I haven't had a bleed. I HAVE had 3 Gamma Knife treatments for my AVM & a crani for an aneurysm.

I've never been a big drinker, but I will say that alcohol affects me more than it did before. My surgeon told me I can drink alcohol, but not to get falling down drunk--this is to help prevent seizures (never had any, but don't want to start.)

If I'm driving--one drink is my limit. And I have to have something to eat & drink plenty of water. Sometimes even if I'm not driving, one is still my limit. I RARELY have 2 drinks in any one evening, and usually only if I am at home. Yesterday, after work, a friend asked if I wanted to go have a drink. I was so tired that I knew that one would be too much and had to decline.

Alcohol lowers the brain’s resistance to seizures. Any time you have a trauma to the brain…it also lowers the brain’s resistance to seizures. The last thing your daughter wants is to develop a seizure disorder. I would ask her neurologist’s opinion.

You may want to check with your doctor about whether or not drinking is a good idea. No personal experience with this, but I would imagine drinking a lot is not a good idea and certainly not if your daughter is taking any medication. Please let us know what your doctor says when you ask him/her. It's good info for people to have here.

You need to remember that alcohol thins your blood. My drs are completely against any consumption. I was told though,...that only one or two beers should be okay. Any more than that or drinking something stronger is very risky.

Barbara is right. That's another risk that she needs to think about.

Ben

Thank you all for your input and advice, I did manage to get in touch with my neurologist and like Ben and A. Collins stated he said one or two should be okay but she has to avoid the risk of dehydration as that would cause trouble, so has to drink plenty of water.

Its a tough time for her as she wants to be doing all the normal teenage things which unfortunately does include alcohol, I just hope and pray that she is sensible when going to these gatherings and not be encouraged by her friends. Teenagers are so fearless!

Lisa x

Alcohol consumption in excess also raises blood pressure.

Has the AVM Stopped bleeding?? If so why the wait for the Gamma Knife?
My AVM did not bleed but was found on June 10th, on July 14th I had my Gamma Knife.
Alcohol affects any anti-seizure medications also. Not a good thing.

She had her bleed April last year, so yes it has long stopped bleeding but the docs only found out that she had an avm in October last year when she had her last angiogram. So it has taken from October to now (and we are still waiting) as it has to go before a panel of certain people to get the approval for gamma knife as not everyone is eligable and then they have to apply for the NHS funding so it can take 3 to 4 months. She has been approved but now waiting for the go-ahead with the funding.

To be honest, if your daughter has a brain AVM, the chances are the alcohol consumption will increase the risk of seizures. I've continued drinking post my avm surgery, but it's moderate.... usually twice a month or so, but I was never a heavy alcohol drink fan :o)

Best Regards,
Bhavesh Patel
http://www.justgiving.com/Bhav-Patel-DeathValley

Thank you Bhav I will continue to warn her of the risks!

I agree to ask your daughter's neurosurgeon, but I will tell you what mine said. I asked him if it would be okay for me to have a glass wine maybe once a month like I used to (I have had a ruptured aneurysm and an active AVM that is currently being left untreated) and he said that he doesn't see a problem with having a drink every once in a while. As he put it, having a drink can help you relax :P

Now mind you, getting fall down drunk probably isn't the best idea of anyone, not that I haven't done it in my wayward youth, but since my bleed I have hardly had a drink at all. I don't really have a problem with this since I was never a big drinker before.

Drinking is a typical teenage thing? Man, I must have been a total nerd.

It's your typical freedom vs safety scenario. If she wants to party, she is probably going to end up like I did: doing the electric shuffle the morning after (i.e. a seizure). If she's responsible, then she can probably have a drink or two (always followed with a glass of water) and realize that having fun is not the same thing as downing as many shots of Rumchata as your friends can. Unfortunately this is not a popular opinion to hear when you're of an age and you just want to have fun like everyone else, like Mollie probably does. She just needs to be aware of the risks (i.e. seizures, maybe having a stroke), and make her choices based on that.

As an added incentive: does your state have laws regarding epilepsy and driving? I seized three times in the same month, and now Iowa thinks I'm an epileptic. This means I'm not allowed to drive for 6 months. Alcohol makes you dehydrated, and increases your risk of having seizures.