If you see someone who is having an epileptic seizure, you should call an ambulance or 911 if:
The seizure lasts more than five minutes
.
Another seizure starts right after the first
.
The person can’t be awakened after the movements have stopped
.
Is an epileptic seizure an emergency?
Seizures do not usually require emergency medical attention
. Only call 911 if one or more of these are true: The person has never had a seizure before. The person has difficulty breathing or waking after the seizure.
When does a seizure become a medical emergency?
A seizure is considered an emergency when
it lasts a long time or when seizures occur close together and the person doesn’t recover between seizures
.
Can you have a seizure and not go to the hospital?
Most seizures last between
30 seconds and two minutes
and will not require any emergency medical attention. However, if someone is experiencing a seizure that lasts longer than two minutes, or they lose consciousness and it does not come back right after the seizure, you should call 911 right away.
What are the warning signs and symptoms of an imminent major epileptic seizure?
- Sensitivity to smells, sounds, or sights.
- Anxiety.
- Nausea.
- Dizziness.
- Visual changes, such as tunnel vision.
What does the ER do for seizures?
An EEG (electroencephalography) or a brain scan may be ordered.
Antiseizure medicine
may be used to treat a seizure lasting longer than five minutes or for multiple seizures. For a person with epilepsy, a Dignity Health neurologist will prescribe medications to prevent or reduce the frequency of seizures.
Can you talk during a seizure?
People who have simple partial seizures do not lose consciousness. However, some people, although fully aware of what’s going on, find they
can’t speak or move until the seizure is over
. They remain awake and aware throughout. Sometimes they can talk quite normally to other people during the seizure.
Can you feel a seizure coming on?
Some people may experience feelings, sensations, or changes in behavior hours or days before a seizure. These feelings are generally not part of the seizure, but may
warn a person that a
seizure may come.
How long does it take to recover from a seizure?
Some people recover immediately while
others may take minutes to hours to feel like
their usual self. The type of seizure, as well as what part of the brain the seizure impacts, affects the recovery period – how long it may last and what may occur during it.
How long are you unconscious after a seizure?
After a seizure, the person may remain unconscious
for several minutes
as the brain recovers from the seizure activity. He or she may appear to be sleeping or snoring. Gradually the person regains awareness and may feel confused, exhausted, physically sore, sad or embarrassed for a few hours.
Should you let someone sleep after a seizure?
After the seizure: they may feel tired and want to sleep. It might be helpful to remind them where they are.
stay with them until they recover
and can safely return to what they had been doing before.
What is Migralepsy?
Migralepsy (
migraine-triggered seizures
) is the term used when a seizure occurs during or within 1 hour of a typical migraine aura attack. Reversible brain MRI abnormalities have been reported in a patient with migraine-triggered seizure, possibly as a consequence of supratentorial focal cerebral edema.
What are four warning signs a person may have before a seizure?
Some patients may have a feeling of having lived a certain experience in the past, known as “déjà vu.” Other warning signs preceding seizures include
daydreaming, jerking movements of an arm, leg, or body, feeling fuzzy or confused
, having periods of forgetfulness, feeling tingling or numbness in a part of the body, …
What are signs before a seizure?
- Staring.
- Jerking movements of the arms and legs.
- Stiffening of the body.
- Loss of consciousness.
- Breathing problems or stopping breathing.
- Loss of bowel or bladder control.
- Falling suddenly for no apparent reason, especially when associated with loss of consciousness.
What are the 3 main phases of a seizure?
Seizures take on many different forms and have a
beginning (prodrome and aura), middle (ictal) and end (post-ictal) stage
.
What are the signs before a stroke?
- Numbness or weakness in your face, arm, or leg, especially on one side.
- Confusion or trouble understanding other people.
- Difficulty speaking.
- Trouble seeing with one or both eyes.
- Problems walking or staying balanced or coordinated.
- Dizziness.
- Severe headache that comes on for no reason.
