Illicit drugs and seizures

The use of recreational illicit drugs and other psychoactive substances has become commonplace, particularly among teenagers1. It is therefore surprising how little is known of their long-term psychological and cognitive effects, their influence on specific neurological conditions such as epilepsy, and their interaction with antiepileptic medications. Their use is sufficiently widespread for many young patients presenting with seizures to have had some experience of recreational drugs. Occasionally, patients on antiepileptic medication for epilepsy will also habitually use illicit substances. Reliable epidemiological data linking drug abuse to seizures are lacking. The quantification of the epileptogenicity of illicit drugs is difficult for several reasons.