Category: Health & Safety

⚡ What to Do When Someone Has a Seizure

A seizure occurs when abnormal electrical activity in the brain temporarily changes a person’s movement, awareness, behavior, sensation, or consciousness.

Some seizures cause the person to fall and shake. Others may involve staring, confusion, repetitive movements, or a brief loss of awareness.

Most seizures stop on their own within a few minutes. Your job is to protect the person from injury, track the time, and recognize when emergency help is needed.

Call 911 If

• The seizure lasts five minutes or longer.
• Another seizure begins before the person recovers.
• This is the person’s first known seizure.
• The person has difficulty breathing after the seizure.
• The person does not begin waking up.
• The seizure occurs in water.
• The person is seriously injured.
• The person is pregnant.
• The person has diabetes.
• Poisoning, overdose, or heat illness may be involved.
• The person has a serious medical condition.
• The seizure occurred after a head injury.
• The seizure is different from the person’s usual pattern.
• You are unsure whether the person is safe.

Call sooner if the person’s seizure action plan says to do so.

Protect the Person During a Convulsive Seizure

If the person falls and begins shaking:

• Stay calm.
• Note the time the seizure begins.
• Guide the person to the floor if possible.
• Move furniture and dangerous objects away.
• Place something soft and flat under the head.
• Remove eyeglasses.
• Loosen tight clothing around the neck.
• Keep other people back.
• Protect the person’s privacy.
• Allow the seizure to run its course.

Do not try to stop the movements.

Never Put Anything in the Person’s Mouth

A person having a seizure cannot swallow their tongue.

Do not place:

• Fingers
• Spoons
• Wallets
• Cloth
• Food
• Drinks
• Pills
• Glucose gel
• Any other object

in the person’s mouth.

Doing so can break teeth, injure the jaw, block the airway, or cause you to be bitten.

Do Not Restrain the Person

Do not hold the person down or force their arms and legs to stop moving.

Instead:

• Clear the area.
• Protect the head.
• Allow space for movement.
• Block access to stairs, traffic, water, fire, or other hazards.
• Wait for the seizure to stop.

Restraining someone can cause injuries to both the person and the helper.

After the Shaking Stops

When the seizure ends:

1. Check whether the person is breathing normally.
2. Place them on their side if they are breathing and no major spinal injury is suspected.
3. Keep the airway open.
4. Wipe away saliva or vomit from around the mouth.
5. Loosen restrictive clothing.
6. Stay with the person.
7. Speak calmly.
8. Allow them to rest.
9. Continue monitoring breathing and responsiveness.

The person may be confused, frightened, embarrassed, tired, or unable to remember what happened. This recovery period is sometimes called the postictal period.

Do not expect the person to answer questions immediately.

If the Person Is Not Breathing Normally

• Call 911.
• Place the person on a firm, flat surface.
• Begin CPR.
• Send someone to get an AED.
• Use the AED as soon as it is available.
• Continue until the person begins breathing normally or emergency professionals take over.

Do not perform CPR during the active shaking unless the person is not breathing after the seizure stops.

Other Types of Seizures

Not every seizure involves falling or shaking.

A person may:

• Stare blankly
• Stop responding
• Smack their lips
• Pick at clothing
• Repeat movements
• Wander
• Speak strangely
• Appear confused
• Experience unusual sensations
• Suddenly lose muscle control

During this type of seizure:

• Stay nearby.
• Guide the person away from danger.
• Do not grab or restrain them unless necessary for immediate safety.
• Speak calmly.
• Block access to traffic, stairs, water, or hot surfaces.
• Time the episode.
• Stay until normal awareness returns.

Do not assume the person is intoxicated or behaving deliberately.

If the Seizure Happens in Water

• Support the person’s head above the water.
• Remove them from the water as soon as it is safe.
• Call 911.
• Check breathing.
• Begin CPR if the person is not breathing normally.
• Arrange medical evaluation even if the person appears to recover.

Water may enter the lungs during the seizure.

Rescue Medication

Some people have prescribed emergency seizure medication and a written seizure action plan.

If you are trained and authorized:

• Follow the action plan.
• Use only the person’s prescribed rescue medication.
• Give it at the time and in the manner directed.
• Call 911 when the plan instructs you to do so.
• Continue monitoring breathing.

Do not give medication by mouth during a seizure or while the person cannot swallow safely.

Record What Happened

Useful information for the person or healthcare professional includes:

• When the seizure started
• How long it lasted
• What the person was doing beforehand
• Which body parts moved
• Whether one side was affected first
• Whether the person lost consciousness
• Breathing and skin-color changes
• Injuries
• Whether another seizure followed
• How long confusion lasted
• Medication that was given
• Possible triggers such as illness, missed medication, sleep loss, or substance use

Do not record video unless it is appropriate, protects the person’s dignity, and may genuinely help with medical care.

After the Person Recovers

• Explain what happened calmly.
• Offer a quiet place to rest.
• Check for injuries.
• Help contact someone they trust.
• Follow their seizure action plan.
• Do not give food or drinks until they are fully alert and can swallow safely.
• Do not allow them to drive.
• Encourage medical follow-up when appropriate.

Do not leave the person alone until they are awake, oriented, breathing normally, and able to care for themselves safely.

Quick Seizure Checklist

• Note the start time.
• Clear dangerous objects away.
• Protect the person’s head.
• Do not restrain them.
• Do not put anything in their mouth.
• Do not give food, drinks, or pills.
• Place them on their side after the shaking stops.
• Check breathing.
• Stay until they recover.
• Call 911 if the seizure lasts five minutes or meets another emergency condition.
• Begin CPR if breathing is not normal after the seizure stops.

Suggested Guides

• What to Do When Someone Is Unconscious
• Responding to a Head Injury or Possible Concussion
• Recognizing & Responding to a Diabetic Emergency
• What to Do When Someone May Have Overdosed
• Understanding CPR & How to Use an AED
• Choosing Between Your Doctor, Urgent Care & the Emergency Room

Important Health & Safety Notice

The information in this guide is provided for general educational purposes only. Independence Answers is not a medical provider, and this content is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or supervision. Always follow the instructions of your doctor, pharmacist, or other qualified healthcare professional, especially if you have a medical condition, take medication, or are unsure whether an action is safe for you.

Do not ignore or delay seeking professional care because of something you read here. If you believe someone may be experiencing a serious or life-threatening emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number immediately.