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Seizure First Aid: What It Means And How To Administer
MyNameIsNicole March 30th, 2022
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Hi again everyone, in response to the last post under the purple day event for epilepsy this was made to explain what seizure first aid is, and how to support someone in the event of a seizure (so take notes).

This wonderful and educative post was made with the help of @audienta who can probably write a book on all things seizures, both epileptic and non-epileptic. Thank you @audienta, I really appreciate your valuable insights, and I hope to work with you more in the future (:

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What is seizure first aid?

Seizure first aid refers to the procedure taken to ensure that a person having a seizure is safe, and medical attention is given when required. Most of the time, seizures do not require emergency medical attention.

How will I know if the seizure requires medical attention?

Here are the circumstances in which you should call 911 in the event of a seizure:

  • The person has never had a seizure before.
  • The person has difficulty breathing or waking up after the seizure.
  • The seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes. (Immediately the seizure begins, you should begin timing it)
  • The person has another seizure soon after the first one.
  • The person is hurt during the seizure.
  • The seizure happens in water.
  • The person has a health condition such as diabetes, heart disease, or is pregnant.
  • The person asks for medical help.

How to determine if a person is having a seizure

There are different types of seizures, and sometimes a person may have an underlying condition. There are also non-epileptic seizures, which may last longer than epileptic seizures.

Most times, when a person imagines what a seizure looks like they picture a type of generalized onset seizure known as the tonic-clonic seizure or grand-mal seizure.

Grand-mal seizures are usually characterized by shaking or jerking movements, convulsions, crying out, unconsciousness, falling down, etc.

People with focal onset seizures may have less noticeable signs such as staring into space, muscle twitching, lip smacking, etc. When a person is aware they are having a seizure, you don't normally have to do too much. Just let them sit down in a safe place and wait with them.

Generalized Tonic Seizure First Aid (For seizures that cause abrupt phsyical movements)

It’s important to keep the person having a grand-mal seizure (also known as the tonic-clonic seizure) safe, and out of harm’s way as the person could get hurt due to their abrupt movements. Here are some things you can do to help someone having this kind of seizure:

  • Ease the person onto the floor if they are not awake and aware.
  • Turn the person gently onto the side with their mouth facing the ground, to aid breathing and prevent saliva from blocking their airway.
  • Clear the surrounding area from any sharp objects to prevent injury.
  • Put something soft and flat like a folded jacket ( if you don’t have a pillow) under their head.
  • Remove eyeglasses, or hats, or anything that could cause disturbance.
  • Loosen ties or anything around their neck that could cause difficulty in breathing.
  • Time the seizure immediately starts, call 911 if it lasts longer than 5 minutes.
Sometimes when having a seizure, a person may walk around the area. Make sure they aren't any sharp objects around, encourage people to clear the area and do not restrain their movements.

What You Should Not Do

In the process of trying to help, we can make the situation worse. So please keep in mind these helpful tips when supporting someone having a seizure❤️

  • Do not hold the person down, or try to stop their movements.
  • Do not put anything into the person’s mouth. This can injure teeth or jaw, or cause choking. A person who is having a seizure can not swallow their tongue, so do not worry about putting something in their mouth to prevent that.
  • Do not try to give mouth-mouth breaths (like CPR). People usually start breathing again on their own after a seizure.
  • Do not offer the person anything to eat or drink until they are fully alert.
Is there a special procedure for non-epileptic seizures?

Seizures can be epileptic but also non-epileptic. They are mostly called non-epileptic seizures, functional seizures, or dissociative seizures. The appearance and first aid protocol for non-epileptic seizures are very similar to the ones for epileptic seizures.

The only big difference is the duration of non-epileptic seizures. They can last for more than 5 minutes without harming the brain. Emergency room visits can be very stressful for all patients, but especially for people with non-epileptic seizures, because they are often not well understood. That’s why it’s very important to look for a medical ID bracelet, card, or app and follow its instructions.
People who experience non-epileptic seizures often have a maximum accepted duration as well, but it’s likely to be more than five minutes. If the person has a medical ID, it’s probably written on it. There are people with non-epileptic seizures who don’t have a duration limit at all. In this case, you only need to call an ambulance if they are injured.
Also, for people with non-epileptic seizures, touch can be very stressful or even painful. That’s why, if not otherwise described on their medical ID, don’t touch them unnecessarily.
If you can’t find a medical ID, always follow the first aid instructions for an epileptic seizure and call an ambulance after 5 minutes.
In summary for non-epileptic seizures:
  • Keep the person safe and turn them onto their side if they are unconscious.
  • Time the seizure.
  • Look for a medical ID bracelet, card, or app.
  • Don’t touch them if it’s not necessary. In particular, don’t restrain their movements.
  • Talk to them calmly. Even though it doesn’t seem like it, they might be able to hear you.
  • Call the ambulance as indicated on the medical ID and inform the paramedics about the ID.
  • If there’s no medical ID, call an ambulance after 5 minutes.
  • Otherwise, stay with them until they are completely okay again.

General First Aid For All Seizure Types

For most seizures, basic first aid is all that is needed. The first line of response is to provide comfort, care and safety. The steps are simple: Stay. Safe. Side.

Stay With The Person Having A Seizure.

Remain calm, clear the area, time the seizure, check for medical ID, call for help if required.

Keep the person Safe.

Clear the area, ask people to step away from the person, help them stay clear of dangerous situations (move them away from traffic, heights, etc), ask someone to stay nearby if further help is needed.

Turn the person to their Side if they are not awake and aware.

Make the person as comfortable as possible, if they are having a convulsive seizure such as the tonic-clonic seizure see the steps above for extra procedures, remove tight clothing around neck, if they are aware help them sit down in a safe place. While it may look like a person has stopped breathing because of the tightening of the chest during the tonic phase of a seizure, the muscles will relax and breathing will usually continue at the end of this phase.

Bonus: Fancy lingo used to describe generalized seizures~
-Tonic: Muscles in the body become stiff.
-Atonic: Muscles in the body relax.
-Myoclonic: Short jerking in the parts of the body.
-Clonic: Periods of jerking or shaking parts on the body.

Are you interested in completing a certification course online so you could have more knowledge on seizure first aid? Check Seizure Recognition and First Aid Certification to see their available courses, or click this for more information.

For audio-visual learners, click here to see videos relating to seizure first aid.

References & Resources


Interested in reading more about epilepsy? Check out the masterpost for more posts like these! Do you want to be a part of the disability support leadership team? Click this to find out how you can apply.

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Learn more about non-epileptic seizures! Read HERE
Fun activity: Tag someone you think would like to read this, let's promote engagement!










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whenitsdarklookforstars March 31st, 2022
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@MyNameIsNicole

This is so useful and comprehensive 💜 Thank you so much for putting so much effort into this guide and for all of the resourceful links, Nicole!

I think raising awareness of how we all can help in tough situations like this is super important 💜 I definitely feel more educated and eager to learn more! Thanks again! 💜

MyNameIsNicole OP April 9th, 2022
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@whenitsdarklookforstars

That's awesome! Thank you for the encouragement, I am so glad you learned something from this.

Spreading awareness is amazing, because not everyone knows how about seizure first aid💜



Xatharr March 31st, 2022
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@MyNameIsNicole thank you for this post! I agree that raising awareness is important, as well as educating on what these seizures are, and what to do if someone is having one. I also like how your posts are organized, very easy to understand while still having a lot of information.

MyNameIsNicole OP April 9th, 2022
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@Xatharr

That's such a nice thing to say, I feel happy to know those extra minutes of organizing paid off!

Thank you, have a nice week ahead💗

audienta March 31st, 2022
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Thank you so much for spreading awareness about seizure first aid @MyNameIsNicole! You're really doing a wonderful job and it was a pleasure working with you. 💜

MyNameIsNicole OP April 9th, 2022
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@audienta

My purple buddy, you're awesome💜

GettingUp March 31st, 2022
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Thank you <3

MyNameIsNicole OP April 9th, 2022
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@GettingUp

Thank you for taking the time to read and leave a nice comment!

March 31st, 2022
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Thank you 🧡👍

alleywood13 March 31st, 2022
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Thank you for this article. I started having seizures at 10 years old. There scary if others don't know what to do.

MyNameIsNicole OP April 9th, 2022
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@alleywood13

I agree, it's important to have this kind of knowledge. Thank you for stopping by💜

Clairebear233 April 1st, 2022
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This is so wonderful that this is happening on 7 cups! Since I have epilepsy I am so glad that everyone is being educated on seziure first aid

MyNameIsNicole OP April 9th, 2022
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@Clairebear233

Yay, disability support is all about raising awareness! I'm happy to know this makes you happy❤️

cloudySummer April 9th, 2022
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Nice!

One piece of information I'd like to see added is what to do when you *don't* know the person. In that case, it is impossible to know whether it's their first seizure.

Also, what do you do if you do not know when the seizure has started, with a known person?

AffyAvo April 9th, 2022
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@cloudySummerIf Good questions!

I am not current on first aid, but what I learned is in general err on the side of calling for emergency services.

So if someone is by themselves, no obvious medical ID or other information, follow as if it was their first seizure, although definitely share you do not know their medical history.

If coming across someone who had a seizure by themselves, again, call.

wonderfulRainbow817 April 9th, 2022
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@cloudySummer

@AffyAvo is absolutely correct! It is always best to call for emergency services as it is better to be safe than sorry. I know in my country if emergency services are called as long as the patient is alert and oriented they are allowed to refuse treatment. Generally one refuses when they have frequent seizures and can recover on their own.

If the person is known to you then you will want to begin timing the seizure. If you know about how long they are out you time it to that point before calling for emergency services, unless they are in danger (i.e. not breathing/struggling to, bleeding, vomiting, etc.). If a seizure lasts more than 5 minutes it is also important that emergency services are contacted.

I highly encourage you to talk with those you do know have epilepsy or seizures in general so that you can best support them if the situation ever arises. My friends asked me exactly what I wanted to do, when to contact family vs. emergency services, what I would need afterwards to recover (i.e. Gatorade, water, nap). This really helps me feel comfortable going out with friends as I know I am in good hands if I were to have a seizure.

MyNameIsNicole OP April 9th, 2022
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@cloudySummer

This is a very good question!

Well, it's always advised to check for medical ID to know if this person has had seizures in the past.

If that's not available, as long the person isn't having any complications such as having trouble breathing, being in danger, hurt physically, etc

I would advise timing the seizure and calling an ambulance if it's longer than 5 minutes.

There are also simple partial seizures, which the person may be able to communicate while having a seizure. You should always let them that you are there to support them during the seizure.

Sometimes a person may feel symptoms they usually feel before they have a seizure, in this case they may be able to let you know beforehand.

I hope this helps❤️

Thank you @AffyAvo and @wonderfulRainbow817 for the awesome replies💜

HopieRemi April 9th, 2022
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@MyNameIsNicole This is a really good thread. Thank you for sharing it

MyNameIsNicole OP April 9th, 2022
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@HopieRemi

You're welcome, thank you for reading.

Clairebear233 April 10th, 2022
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💯

enthusiasticTortoise6681 April 17th, 2022
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@MyNameIsNicole Thank you,nicole

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