Natural herbs and Seizures

Symptoms & Treatment Complementary Therapies
1

Question. I am 10 years post AVM/currently on seizure meds and recently decided to explore my health a little more.

Im really interested in natural herbs and products. I have been vegetarian for 7 years and really enjoy it! Recently, I started trying herbs (not really related to the improvement of AVMs/seizures) but just the overall healthy herbs. I checked with my neurologist about possible drug interactions with anticonvulsants however he seems to be no help.

Lately I have learned evening primrose(an herb that helps with menstrual pain) is not good for individuals with seizures. I became interested and attempted to try sea moss gel (algae product from the ocean containing 92 minerals found in our bodies) however I was consistently feeling dizzy so I stopped. I’m alittle annoyed because this is something Im really interested in however I feel like there’s no assistance in finding out what interacts with seizure meds. Again, my doctor states that he cannot help me and directed me to a seizure specialist who also was no help due to “no updated research” which I completely understand. Google was also no help.

Any information/comments/experiences you have would be helpful. I am aware any comment/post here should not be taken as medical advice. I’m just curious.

Here are some herbs I was looking into:
SeaMoss- 92 minerals, good for boosting energy, removing mucus from the body
Maca root- great source of iron, contains lots of antioxidants

2

Hey BD20,
A part of the problem is the brain itself and how the chemicals in some herbal substances interacts with brain chemicals. This is not an exact science as a variation in either can have some profound and very individual effects. Medicos like to have verified double blind tests from clinical trials, when they do not have any to refer to, many are reluctant to give definitive yes/no answers. So you get a lot of ‘it could be’ or ‘it might be’. There are some drug interactions that are fairly well known and both dr’s and chemists are well aware of these, but when it comes to natural supplements the information is not so readily available.

Personally, if you can’t get a medical opinion and considering you medical situation I would be questioning their use. But that’s me. Safety first.

Merl from the Moderator Support Team