First Aid for Epilepsy - Seizure Management Resource

First Aid for Seizures

Seizure first aid card. What to do in the event of a seizure. Stay, safe, side.
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Seizures can be startling. However, for most people with epilepsy, a seizure is not an emergency. If you see someone having a seizure, your goal is to keep the person safe. In most cases, the seizure will stop on its own. Even so, it is important to follow some basic seizure first aid tips to help and protect the person experiencing the seizure. Become seizure first aid certified! Click here to learn more and register for your free certification course.

Managing an Epileptic Seizure

Stay

If someone is having a seizure, stay with them and remain calm. Look at a clock, a watch, or your cell phone to time the seizure. Put something soft under the person’s head and turn them onto one side in order to protect the airway.

Safe

It can be tempting to restrain the person seizing, but this is not recommended. Instead, move or guide the person away from harm. Clear the area by removing anything hard or sharp that could cause an injury.

Side

If the person having a seizure is not awake and aware, turn them onto their side. To keep them safe, loosen ties, scarves or other restrictive item to help their breathing. Also, put something soft under their head. For example, a sweatshirt or even your hands. This helps protect their head from getting hurt.

You may have heard that people with a seizure could swallow their tongue. This is not true, and holding the tongue can injure both yourself and the person having the seizure. Do not attempt artificial respiration during the course of the seizure.

When to Get Help

While most seizures for people with epilepsy are not emergencies, there are some situations when it is imperative to call for medical help.

  • A seizure lasts 5 minutes or more
  • Another seizure happens right after the first one without the person regaining consciousness
  • The person does not return to their normal state
  • The person is injured, pregnant, or sick
  • They have trouble breathing
  • The seizure occurs in water
  • It is their first seizure
  • The person asks for medical help

To best help the person experiencing a seizure, stay with them until it ends. Give the person some space and clear any crowd that may have gathered. For the person having a seizure, a crowd can be embarrassing and overwhelming. As the person comes out of the seizure, be friendly and reassuring. If the person needs further assistance, offer to call a friend or arrange for a ride.

Epilepsy Learning Portal

Click here to visit the Epilepsy Learning Portal. It has free, on-demand and live training sessions.

The Epilepsy Foundation recently launched their Epilepsy Learning Portal, a one-stop shop where you can access all their virtual, live, and on-demand trainings about epilepsy and seizures to help create a Seizure Safe Nation for the 3.4 million Americans living with epilepsy.

The Epilepsy Foundation will be expanding the variety of online educational offerings on the Epilepsy Learning Portal. Current trainings include:

  • Seizure Training for School Personnel
  • Seizure Training for School Nurses: Caring for Students
  • Seizure First Aid Certification

Create an account at learn.epilepsy.com

When providing seizure first aid, these are the key things to remember:

  • Stay calm and reassure other people who may be nearby.
  • Time the seizure with a watch, clock, or cell phone. Most seizures only last a few minutes.
  • Clear the area around the person of anything hard or sharp, and put something flat and soft, like a folded jacket, under the head.
  • Keep the airway clear. Turn them gently onto one side, and loosen anything around the neck that may make breathing difficult. Don’t put anything in their mouth. A person cannot swallow their tongue.
  • Don’t attempt artificial respiration except in the unlikely event that a person does not start breathing again after the seizure has stopped.
  • Stay with the person until the seizure ends. Be friendly and reassuring, and offer help if needed.

Call for Emergency Medical Help When:

  • A seizure lasts 5 minutes or more
  • Another seizure happens right after the first one without the person regaining consciousness
  • The person does not return to their normal state
  • The person is injured, pregnant, or sick
  • They have trouble breathing
  • The seizure occurs in water
  • It is their first seizure
  • The person asks for medical help

diastatIf the person having a seizure has a prescription for Diastat, please visit this website for details on proper administration of the medication.

baltoco: diazepam nasal sprayA person with epilepsy may also have a prescription for diazepam nasal spray. Please visit this website for details on proper administration of the medication.

For more information on seizure first aid, please contact the Epilepsy Foundation Texas at (888) 548-9716 or email us at info@eftx.org.