The Seizure Space

Seizure first aid

Stay. Safe. Side.

You do not need training to help someone through a seizure. You need to stay calm, keep them from being hurt, and stay with them until they are themselves again.

If in doubt, call for an ambulance. The guidance below is general first aid information, not medical advice, and it does not replace your local emergency services.

A convulsive (tonic-clonic) seizure

  1. Note the time

    Start timing as soon as you realise what is happening. Duration is the single most useful thing you can tell a paramedic.

  2. Make the space safe

    Move furniture, hot drinks and anything hard or sharp out of the way. Put something soft under their head. Take their glasses off and loosen anything tight around their neck.

  3. Do not restrain them

    Never hold them down and never put anything in their mouth. Let the seizure run its course.

  4. Turn them onto their side

    Once the jerking stops, roll them gently into the recovery position so their airway stays clear and anything in their mouth can drain.

  5. Stay until they are fully alert

    Confusion, exhaustion, headache and embarrassment are all normal afterwards. Speak calmly, say what happened, and clear the onlookers away.

Do

  • Time the seizure from the start
  • Cushion their head
  • Clear hard or sharp objects away
  • Loosen tight clothing at the neck
  • Turn them on their side once movements stop
  • Stay with them until they are fully alert
  • Check for a medical tag, bracelet or card
  • Give them privacy and reassurance afterwards

Do not

  • Restrain them or hold their limbs down
  • Put anything in their mouth - they cannot swallow their tongue
  • Give food, drink or medication until fully alert
  • Move them, unless they are in immediate danger
  • Crowd around them or let others film it
  • Assume they are drunk or being difficult

Call an ambulance if

  • The seizure lasts longer than five minutes
  • A second seizure follows without recovery in between
  • They do not regain consciousness, or stay confused for an unusually long time
  • They are injured, or have difficulty breathing afterwards
  • It happened in water
  • It is their first ever seizure, or you have no idea whether they have epilepsy
  • They are pregnant, or have diabetes or another serious condition
  • You are asked to, or you are simply not sure

A non-convulsive seizure

If someone is conscious but unresponsive, staring, wandering, or behaving in a way that seems confused or automatic, they may be having a focal seizure.

  • Stay nearby and let it pass. Do not grab or startle them.
  • Guide them gently away from roads, stairs or other hazards.
  • Speak calmly and simply. They may not be able to reply.
  • Do not assume they can understand or consent to anything until they are fully alert.
  • Explain afterwards what happened. They may have no memory of it.

Carry your own instructions

General first aid gets a bystander most of the way. Your own notes - your warning signs, your rescue medication, when an ambulance is genuinely needed for you - get them the rest of the way.

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