Generalized seizures are a result of abnormal activity on both sides of the brain. Most seizures last from 30 seconds to 2 minutes and do not cause lasting harm. However, it is a medical emergency if seizures last longer than 5 minutes or if a person has many seizures and does not wake up between them.
Do you have to go to the hospital if you have a seizure?
Call 911 or seek emergency medical help for seizures if: A seizure lasts more than five minutes. Someone experiences a seizure for the first time. Person remains unconsciousness after a seizure ends.
Is seizure an 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.
Is seizure medical 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.
Is a seizure a neurological emergency?
Summary: Acute repetitive seizures and status epilepticus are neurologic emergencies that are being increasingly diagnosed and treated in the modern era. Rapid treatment may influence patient prognosis, future cognitive outcomes, and the long-term potential for developing epilepsy.
Can you fight off a seizure?
In cases where the aura is a smell, some people are able to fight off seizures by sniffing a strong odor , such as garlic or roses. When the preliminary signs include depression, irritability, or headache, an extra dose of medication (with a doctor’s approval) may help prevent an attack.
What are common seizure triggers?
Missed medication, lack of sleep, stress, alcohol, and menstruation are some of the most common triggers, but there are many more. Flashing lights can cause seizures in some people, but it’s much less frequent than you might imagine.
What does the ER do for seizures?
Emergency treatment usually involves IV (or oral medication in some people) medication such as lorazepam ; other drugs may also be utilized with this drug type (phenytoin or fosphenytoin). Treatment is needed to begin soon as continual seizures lasting 20-30 min. may result in damage to the brain.
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.
Do seizures shorten lifespan?
Reduction in life expectancy can be up to 2 years for people with a diagnosis of idiopathic/cryptogenic epilepsy, and the reduction can be up to 10 years in people with symptomatic epilepsy. Reductions in life expectancy are highest at the time of diagnosis and diminish with time.
When should you call 911 for a seizure?
When to seek emergency help
But call 911 or other emergency services immediately if: The person having a seizure stops breathing for longer than 30 seconds . After calling 911 or other emergency services, begin rescue breathing. The seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes.
What are warning signs of 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 symptoms after a seizure?
- A scream. Some people may cry out at the beginning of a seizure.
- Loss of bowel and bladder control. This may happen during or following a seizure.
- Unresponsiveness after convulsions. Unconsciousness may persist for several minutes after the convulsion has ended.
- Confusion. ...
- Fatigue. ...
- Severe headache.
What is the most serious type of seizure?
Tonic-clonic seizures .
Tonic-clonic seizures, previously known as grand mal seizures, are the most dramatic type of epileptic seizure and can cause an abrupt loss of consciousness, body stiffening and shaking, and sometimes loss of bladder control or biting your tongue.
How long can a seizure last before brain damage?
A seizure that lasts longer than 5 minutes , or having more than 1 seizure within a 5 minutes period, without returning to a normal level of consciousness between episodes is called status epilepticus. This is a medical emergency that may lead to permanent brain damage or death.
What should a person do after a seizure?
Hold the person down or try to stop their movements. Put something in the person’s mouth (this can cause tooth or jaw injuries) Administer CPR or other mouth-to-mouth breathing during the seizure . Give the person food or water until they are alert again.
