What to Do When a Loved One Has a Seizure

Epilepsy is a neurological disease that occurs because of abnormal electrical activity in the brain, known as seizures. It’s the fourth most common neurological disease after migraine, stroke, and Alzheimer's, and it affects some three million people in the United States.

Because your brain controls so many aspects of your body, when you have a seizure, many things can go wrong.

At Advanced Neurology Specialists, LLC, board-certified neurologist Dr. Cory Lamar is specially trained in the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy and other seizure disorders. As there are a lot of misconceptions and misinformation about the disease, many people aren’t sure what to do if someone they love has an attack. Here’s what you need to know.

Types of seizures

Seizures are classified into two types, depending on where in the brain they originate: focal and generalized.

Focal seizures

When seizures result from abnormal activity in one brain area, they're called focal seizures.

Focal seizures with preserved consciousness don't cause a loss of consciousness, but they can alter emotions or the way things look, smell, feel, taste, or sound. They can also result in the jerking of a body part.

Focal seizures with impaired consciousness involve a change in or loss of consciousness. The person may stare into space and not respond to their environment. They also may perform repetitive movements.

Generalized seizures

Seizures that involve all areas of the brain are known as generalized seizures. Subtypes include:

Absence seizures

Symptoms include staring blankly into space, either with or without subtle body movements. They tend to occur in clusters.

Tonic seizures

These cause stiff muscles, may affect consciousness, and may cause the person to fall to the ground.

Atonic seizures

Also called drop seizures, atonic seizures cause a loss of muscle control, most often in the legs. As a result, the person suddenly drops to the ground.

Clonic seizures

These seizures cause repeated, rhythmic jerking muscle movements that mostly affect the neck, face, and arms.

Myoclonic seizures

These usually present as sudden brief jerks or twitches that affect the upper body, arms, and legs.

Tonic-clonic seizures

Previously known as grand mal seizures, these are the most dramatic type of seizure. They cause a sudden loss of consciousness; body stiffening, twitching, and shaking; bladder symptoms; and possibly biting of the tongue.

What to do when a loved one has a seizure

Most seizures, no matter how scary they appear, don’t require emergency medical attention, and you can’t stop one once it’s in progress. That said, you should and shouldn’t do certain things when you’re with someone having a seizure.

If the seizure is mild, say an absence seizure, stay with the person until the seizure ends and they’re fully alert. Stay calm and keep others around you calm. Once the person’s awake, move them to a safe place and explain what happened. If you’re not at home, take them home to recover from the incident.

If the person is having a tonic-clonic seizure, ease them gently to the ground, turn them on their side to help them breathe, and put something soft under their head.

Clear away any dangerous objects so they won’t be harmed. If they wear glasses, remove them, and loosen any clothing at the neck (i.e. a buttoned collar, a tie) that might affect breathing.

Lastly, time the seizure. If it lasts more than five minutes, call 911.

No matter the type of seizure, never hold the person down or try to prevent them from moving. Don’t put anything in their mouth or give them mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. And don’t give them any food or water until they’ve become fully alert.

If someone you love has epilepsy and you want to learn more about how to help them during a seizure, Advanced Neurology Specialists, LLC, is here to help. Call our office in Naples, Florida, today at 239-667-5878 to set up a consultation with Dr. Lamar, or book online with us.