Frequently Asked Questions
Question:
I have seizures, What is a seizure action plan?
Answer:
Seizures can be an emergency. Having a plan that family, friends, school staff, and co-workers can follow provides safety and lets others know what to do and what not to do in the case of an emergency. Having a seizure safety plan can also reduce the risk of prolonged seizures and the need for rescue medications.
Individuals with seizures and their families should work with their Neurologist to develop a personalized seizure action plan. Seizure safety plans can be provided to school staff or employers.
Helpful Information to include in your plan is the following:
- The person’s name, date of birth, weight, and diagnosis
- Emergency contact information
- Neurologist contact information
- List of daily medications and doses and if the individual uses rescue meds to stop a seizure
- List of medication allergies
- Seizure triggers, if known
- What seizures may look like in an individual, these may vary from full tonic-clonic seizures to a loss of memory and confusion
- How to help a person during a seizure, this can include simple measures such as turning a person on their side and protecting their head if they have tonic-clonic seizures to providing reassurance and reorientation if the individual has confusion.
- Examples of when your seizures require emergency care
- If an individual uses rescue medications, and dose timing, can a second or third dose be given
- How to record seizure activity
Individuals are not required to tell others that they have a seizure disorder, but in a school or work setting, it is important that others know how to care for an individual during a seizure. A written and digital copy of the seizure plan should be recorded and it is helpful to review it with individuals that will follow the plan. Standardized forms can be found online or school systems may have a specific form that they use. In addition to safety, following a seizure safety plan can help document what seizures may be like or if the individual is seizure free for more than 6 months which may allow their doctor to give them permission to drive or to return to jobs where seizures may provide a risk.
