It will also explain how to stay safe from COVID-19 and what to do if you contract the virus.

It is primarily transmitted when people breathe in respiratory droplets or small airborne particles containing the virus.

Much of the evidence gathered since then suggests that it cannot.

Person holding a positive COVID home rapid test

Photographer, Basak Gurbuz Derman / Getty Images

This is not to say that certain individuals with epilepsy might not be at an increased risk.

The study also concluded that epilepsy increases the risk of COVID-related death by around 170%.

But not everyone is convinced.

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These could potentially contribute to susceptibility by undermining a person’s immune defenses.

Epilepsy has since been removed from the CDC advisement.

Despite suggestions of an increased risk, seizures are still considered uncommon compared to other possible complications of COVID-19.

Discontinuing these drugs may be unnecessary and increase your risk of seizures.

Never stop or adjust the dose of your AEDS without first speaking with your healthcare provider.

This includes older age.

Be sure to refill your prescription on time so that you never run out of your anti-epilepsy drugs.

Instead, talk with a friend, your healthcare provider, or an onlineepilepsy support group.

Summary

Epilepsy is not associated with an increased risk of getting COVID-19.

The same applies to studies suggesting that COVID may lead to more seizures in people with epilepsy.

If your seizures are more frequent or harder to control, speak with your healthcare provider.

It is possible that an adjustment in your medications or lifestyle can set you right again.

The information in this article is current as of the date listed.

As new research becomes available, well update this article.

For the latest on COVID-19, visit ourcoronavirus news page.

COVID-19 has been known to cause new-onset seizures occasionally.

Even so, these seizures tend to be one-time events.

They are not technically considered epilepsy (because epilepsy is characterized by recurrent seizures).

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