Seizure First Aid: What to Do When Someone Has a Seizure

Seeing someone have a seizure can be frightening, but the first aid is straightforward and most seizures stop on their own within a couple of minutes. Your job is to keep the person safe, time the seizure, and know when to call an ambulance. This guide explains the first aid management of a seizure step by step, what not to do, when to call Triple Zero (000), and how a medical ID helps responders when someone has epilepsy.

What is the first aid management of a seizure?

Australian first aid guidance from the Australian Resuscitation Council (ANZCOR) and Epilepsy Action Australia is built around protecting the person during the seizure and caring for them afterwards. You do not need to stop the seizure — you cannot — and most seizures end without any treatment.

Seizure first aid steps: what to do

Follow these seizure first aid steps in order for a tonic-clonic (convulsive) seizure, where the person falls and their body stiffens and jerks.

Protect the person from injury during the seizure, then roll them onto their side once the jerking stops.

What not to do during a seizure

Knowing what not to do matters as much as the steps above.

• Do not put anything in the person's mouth — they cannot swallow their tongue, and objects can break teeth or block the airway.
• Do not restrain or hold the person down, or try to stop their movements.
• Do not move them unless they are in danger, such as near traffic, water or a heat source.
• Do not give food, drink or medication until they are fully alert.

When to call 000 for a seizure

Most seizures do not need an ambulance. Call Triple Zero (000) and ask for an ambulance if any of the following apply.

Seizure recovery position

Once the convulsions have stopped, roll the person onto their side into the recovery position. This keeps the airway open and lets saliva or vomit drain from the mouth while the person is drowsy or unconscious (the postictal phase). Stay with them, keep them on their side, and reassure them as they come round, which can take several minutes.

Tonic-clonic vs focal seizures: does first aid change?

Not every seizure involves collapsing and jerking. The core principles — keep the person safe, do not restrain them, time the seizure — stay the same, but what you see differs.

Epilepsy first aid and seizure management

Recurring seizures are usually caused by epilepsy, though a seizure can also follow a high fever, low blood sugar, a head injury or other causes. Longer-term seizure management is led by a doctor and may include prescribed medication and, for some people, an individual seizure management plan. If you support someone with epilepsy, ask whether they have a plan and what they would like you to do. Some people are prescribed emergency medication for prolonged seizures; only give it if you have been trained and it is part of their plan. For information and support, Epilepsy Action Australia is the national body.

Seizures and medical IDs

After a seizure a person is often confused and cannot explain their condition. A medical ID tells a first responder that the person has epilepsy or a seizure disorder — information that matters most when they cannot speak. A medical ID can also carry a membership number for an online medical records service such as MedibandPlus.

A medical ID lets a responder know about epilepsy when the person is confused or unable to speak after a seizure.

With MedibandPlus, that membership number lets first responders access a secure profile that stores the wearer's condition, medications and next-of-kin contact. It does not assess or diagnose anything — it simply makes the wearer's own information available when they cannot speak, so the right care reaches them sooner.

Related reading: the full DRSABCD first aid action plan, the recovery position, and anaphylaxis first aid. When you are ready, you can start a MedibandPlus membership.

What to tell the ambulance

Paramedics, and later the person’s doctor, will want a description of something nobody with epilepsy can describe themselves — because they were not conscious for it. If you saw it, you are the only witness.

• How long it lasted. This is why you time it. Guessing almost always overestimates.
• What you saw at the very start — did they cry out, stare, go stiff, fall to one side?
• Whether they were injured in the fall, and whether they bit their tongue.
• Whether this is their first, or whether they are known to have epilepsy.
• How long they took to come round and whether they were confused afterwards.

Seizure first aid FAQs

Sources

• Epilepsy Action Australia — seizure first aid and epilepsy support (1300 37 45 37).
• Australian Resuscitation Council (ANZCOR) — first aid management of a seizure.
• healthdirect — Seizures — types of seizure, what causes them, and when a seizure needs emergency care.
• Better Health Channel — Epilepsy — living with epilepsy, triggers, and seizure management plans.
• Triple Zero (000) — when and how to call Australia’s emergency number, and what the call taker will ask you.

Disclaimer: This article is general first aid information, not medical advice or a substitute for accredited first aid training. In an emergency, always call Triple Zero (000). For epilepsy or seizure support, speak with a GP or Epilepsy Action Australia (1300 37 45 37). MedibandPlus stores and provides access to a member's own medical information; it does not monitor, assess or diagnose any condition.