First aid for seizures

You may feel safer and more confident if other people know how to help you if you have a seizure. Here is some general information about first aid for seizures.

In this section

• First aid for seizures when a person loses consciousness and falls down
• First aid for seizures when a person has a seizure but does not fall down
• First aid for people who use a wheelchair

First aid for seizures when a person loses consciousness and falls down

Do...

• Protect the person from injury - (remove harmful objects from nearby) 
• Place something soft, such as a folded sweater, under their head
• Help the person to breathe by gently placing them in the recovery position once the seizure has finished (see the pictures)
• Stay with the person until they come round and are fully recovered 
• Be calmly reassuring

Don't...

• Restrain the person’s movements
• Put anything in the person’s mouth 
• Try to move them unless they are in danger 
• Give them anything to eat or drink until they are fully recovered 
• Attempt to bring them round

Call for an ambulance if... 

• You know it is the person’s first seizure, or
• The seizure continues for more than five minutes, or
• One tonic-clonic seizure follows another without the person regaining consciousness between seizures, or
• The person is injured during the seizure, or
• You believe the person needs urgent medical attention

First aid for seizures when a person has a seizure but does not fall down

Do...

• Guide the person away from danger
• Stay with the person until they have fully recovered
• Be calmly reassuring 
• Explain anything that they may have missed  

Don't...

• Restrain the person 
• Act in a way that could frighten them, such as making abrupt movements or shouting at them 
• Assume the person is aware of what is happening, or what has happened  
• Give the person anything to eat or drink until they are fully recovered  
• Attempt to bring them round

Call for an ambulance if...

• You know it is the person's first seizure, or
• The seizure continues for more than five minutes, or
• The person is injured during the seizure, or
• You believe the person needs urgent medical attention, or

First aid for people who use a wheelchair

If you use a wheelchair, or you have other mobility problems, speak to your family doctor or epilepsy specialist. They should give you a care plan, which includes advice on how people should help you if you have a seizure.

Here are some general first aid guidelines for people who have a seizure in a wheelchair.

Do...

• Put the brakes on, to stop the chair from moving.
• Allow the person to remain seated in the chair during the seizure (unless they have a care plan which says to move them). Moving the person could possibly lead to injuries for the person having the seizure and the carer.
• If the person has a seatbelt or harness on, leave it fastened.
• If the person doesn’t have a seatbelt or harness, support them gently, so they don’t fall out of the chair.
• Cushion the person’s head and support it gently. A head rest, cushion or rolled up coat can be helpful.
• When the seizure has finished, move the person from the chair and put them in the recovery position, if this is possible (unless the care plan says otherwise).This can help the person to breathe.

Don't...

• Restrain the person’s movements
• Put anything in the person’s mouth 
• Try to move them unless they are in danger 
• Give them anything to eat or drink until they are fully recovered 
• Attempt to bring them round