“Does schizophrenia cause seizures?”
My son is 30 years old, and he was just diagnosed with schizophrenia. Could this explain the seizures that he had? Does schizophrenia cause seizures?
5 Answers
NO. New seizure onset at age 30 deserves a thorough neurological evaluation. First cause to rule out is illegal drug abuse, legal drug/medication abuse, and in this case antipsychotic adverse effects IF the seizures first appeared AFTER starting antipsychotic medication for his schizophrenia.
Seizures and schizophrenia are separate problems. Neither causes the other.
Yes it can easily. Schizophrenia is a disease which needs medication and constant therapy. Depends of course how bad it is but he needs to be monitored more often.
Dear Asker,
I am not your doctor and the following is not medical advice. Schizophrenia does not cause seizures. There is higher risk of substance use disorders in those with many mental health diagnoses, some of which may be associated with seizures, for example, alcohol withdrawal, sedative withdrawal, stimulant/designer drug/synthetic cannabis use. Use of some of these substances can also cause psychotic episodes which may mimic the beginnings of schizophrenia, and such substances may also not be readily detected on standard drug screens. You may also consider consulting with a neurologist to rule out the possibility of an organic neurological cause for both the seizures and the psychotic disorder if not already done. Finally, antipsychotic medications used to treat schizophrenia can lower the seizure threshold and lead to increased risk of seizures in some patients. These are all things that would be good to discuss further with your son’s psychiatrist. Best of luck.
I am not your doctor and the following is not medical advice. Schizophrenia does not cause seizures. There is higher risk of substance use disorders in those with many mental health diagnoses, some of which may be associated with seizures, for example, alcohol withdrawal, sedative withdrawal, stimulant/designer drug/synthetic cannabis use. Use of some of these substances can also cause psychotic episodes which may mimic the beginnings of schizophrenia, and such substances may also not be readily detected on standard drug screens. You may also consider consulting with a neurologist to rule out the possibility of an organic neurological cause for both the seizures and the psychotic disorder if not already done. Finally, antipsychotic medications used to treat schizophrenia can lower the seizure threshold and lead to increased risk of seizures in some patients. These are all things that would be good to discuss further with your son’s psychiatrist. Best of luck.
This link will provide you some understanding of this relationship.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2768382/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2768382/
