GET SEIZURE SMART GET SEIZURE SMART
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

GET SEIZURE SMART About 1 out of 10 people has had a seizure. That means seizures are common, and one day you might need to help someone during or after a seizure. But would you know what to do? First aid for seizures involves keeping the person safe until the seizure stops by itself. When most people think of a seizure, they think of a generalized tonic-clonic (grand mal) seizure. In this type of seizure, the person may cry out, lose consciousness, fall to the ground, and have rigidity and muscle jerks that last a few minutes. Here are things you can do to help someone who is having that type of seizure: Photo: Two women sitting on stairs, talkingKeep calm and reassure other people who may be nearby. Prevent injury by clearing the area around the person of anything hard or sharp. Ease the person to the floor and put something soft and flat, like a folded jacket, under his head. Remove eyeglasses and loosen ties or anything around the neck that may make it hard to breathe. Turn the person gently onto one side. This will help keep the airway clear. Time the seizure. If the seizure continues for longer than 5 minutes without signs of slowing down, or if the person has trouble breathing, appears to be injured, in pain, or recovery is unusual in some way, call 911. Stay with the person until the seizure ends naturally and he is fully awake. Be friendly and reassuring as consciousness returns. Offer to call a taxi, friend, or relative to help the person get home if he seems confused or unable to get home without help. Here are some important things NOT to do: Do not hold the person down or try to stop his movements. Do not put anything in the person’s mouth. Efforts to hold the tongue down can injure the teeth or jaw. A person having a seizure cannot swallow his tongue. Do not attempt artificial respiration unless the person does not start breathing again after the seizure has stopped, which is unlikely. Do not offer the person water or food until he is fully alert. There are also other types of seizures. Here are some things you can do to help someone who is having a seizure that appears as blank staring or loss of awareness, and may have involuntary blinking, chewing, or other facial movements. Stay calm and speak reassuringly. Guide him away from dangers. Block access to dangerous items, but don’t restrain the person. Stay a distance away if he is agitated, but close enough to protect him until full awareness has returned. Consider a seizure an emergency and call 911 if any of the following occurs: The seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes without signs of slowing down or if a person has trouble breathing after, appears to be in pain, or recovery is unusual in some way. The person has another seizure soon after the first one. The person cannot be awakened after the seizure activity has stopped. The person became injured during the seizure. The person becomes aggressive. The seizure occurs in water. The person has a health condition like diabetes, heart disease, or is pregnant.