Can Caffeine Tamper With The Results Of A EEG Test?

Caffeine decreases the frequency of theta waves, which are the waves that occur when a person is sleepy, meditating, etc. (that also explains why caffeine is a stimulant). This change is what's known as an artifact, which is the general term that describes anything that can skew the results of the EEG. Moving during the test or even chewing gum can cause an artifact, but a skilled neurologist should be able to recognize an artifact for what it is so your results will be read accurately. However, you should tell the EEG tech or neurologist that you did drink caffeine so they can analyze the results correctly, and it's possible that the test may need to be moved.

Yes, caffeine does have an influence on the results of an EEG test. The reason behind this is that caffeine has a direct impact on the cells of the brain, and in an EEG test, the patient is given shocks through the head or the brain. It has been recently discovered that caffeine has few and modest effects on EEG in the theta and alpha bandwidths, but no effects in the delta and beta bandwidths.

What about other drugs? I was giving some pain medication for something unrelated to my seizure and took some the day of my EEG, could that have affected the results?