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DownloadDo not drive.
You will have been told not to drive. For your own safety and the safety of others you must stop driving immediately until you are seen in the first seizure clinic. You will lose control of a vehicle if you have a seizure when driving and you may be prosecuted by the Police if you drive. There are severe penalties, including prison.
Caution with activities.
Following a seizure it is important to take sensible precautions. Suggested precautions include
Avoid activities where it would be difficult for help to get to you, for example scuba diving, skiing, lone activities.
Use common sense with regard to the activities you take part in, but remember that you may never experience a seizure again. For the majority of people, if you are going to have another episode, it will occur within the next six months.
It is always sensible not to smoke, and to eat a healthy diet, exercise, and avoid excessive stress and tiredness. Limit alcohol intake to 1 to 2 units in 24 hours and avoid recreational drugs.
If you were able to identify what caused/triggered the first episode then you should avoid or minimise the trigger where possible.
It is sensible to tell your line manager or occupational health department that you have had a suspected seizure, so you can discuss if any additional safety measures need to be taken.
You have to inform them if your job involves driving (any vehicle), flying, or you are in the armed forces, police, fire service, merchant navy or if you, or anyone else could be at risk if it happened again, for example if you work at heights, near water, with heat sources or machinery or with children/vulnerable adults.
Advise your friends or family to: o remove nearby harmful objects; o cushion your head
They must not put anything in your mouth or try to restrain your movements.
Once the attack has stopped they can roll you into the recovery position to help your breathing. If breathing is still difficult they can check that nothing is blocking your throat like dentures.
Most seizures will stop on their own after a few minutes and no urgent action is needed. However, please seek medical advice. Seek immediate medical attention and call 999, if
Epilepsy information.
This information is for guidance purposes only and is in no way intended to replace professional clinical advice by a qualified practitioner.
This article is intended for patients receiving care in Brighton & Hove or Haywards Heath.
Review Date: April 2023