Healthy Living and Fitness

Illness Care: Epilepsy

First aid for people having seizures

The kind of first aid or assistance needed for someone suffering from an epileptic seizure depends to some degree on the type and severity of the seizure.

In general, however, the following measures should be taken:

• Protect the person from nearby hazards, such as electricity, sharp objects or moving vehicles.
• Protect the person's head from injury.
• Loosen clothing around the person's neck, such as ties or tight shirt collars. There is usually no need to loosen or remove other clothing. Remove his or her glasses.
• Try to put the patient into the recovery position.
• Look for medical identification, usually a bracelet containing a notice that the person has epilepsy.
• If the fit lasts for more than ten minutes an ambulance should be called immediately. Otherwise, it is usually not necessary to seek medical attention after a seizure.
• If a grand mal seizure - characterized by a sudden fall, rigidity, muscle jerking, unconsciousness, and shallow or temporarily suspended breathing - is suspected, turn the person on his side to keep the airway clear.
• If the seizure lasts more than a few minutes, or if the person is pregnant, injured, or diabetic, call for an ambulance immediately. Call for medical help if the person is having multiple seizures.
• Stay with the patient until they regain consciousness, then try to calm them.

There are some things you should NOT do if someone is having a seizure:

• Never put anything in someone's mouth during an attack.
• Do not restrain the person.
• Do not move the person while the seizure is in progress, unless there is danger of injury. After the seizure, do not offer anything to drink until the person is completely awake.

 

Return to our main Healthy Living and Fitness page