Seizure First Aid
Knowing how to help can make a frightening situation safer
Seizures do not all look alike. A person may fall and have repeated jerking movements, but they may also become suddenly confused, stare, wander, make repetitive movements, lose muscle tone or behave in a way that seems unusual.
Good seizure first aid starts with one principle: protect the person from harm while allowing the seizure to run its course.
Most seizures stop by themselves. The person may still need support afterwards while their brain and body recover.
If someone falls and has a convulsive seizure
Stay with them and remain as calm as possible.
Move hard, sharp, hot or otherwise dangerous objects away from them. If they are already somewhere safe, do not unnecessarily move them.
Place something soft underneath their head if you can do so safely. Loosen tight clothing around the neck and remove nearby hazards.
Note the time the seizure begins. Knowing how long a seizure has lasted can be important when deciding whether emergency medical help is needed.
Do not try to stop the person's movements and do not hold them down.
Never put fingers, objects, spoons or anything else into their mouth. A person having a seizure cannot swallow their tongue, and placing objects in the mouth can cause injuries to the teeth, jaw or airway.
Once the jerking has stopped, check their breathing and gently place them on their side in the recovery position where appropriate. Stay with them while they recover.
Not every seizure involves shaking
Some seizures are much less obvious.
During a focal seizure, a person may become confused or only partly aware of their surroundings. They might stare, wander, repeatedly swallow, pick at clothing, smack their lips or perform other automatic movements.
Do not shout at them, shake them or try to force them to respond.
Stay nearby, speak calmly and guide them away from immediate dangers such as traffic, stairs, water, hot surfaces or machinery.
Avoid restraining them unless this is absolutely necessary to prevent immediate serious harm.
When the seizure ends, the person may not immediately understand what has happened. Explain calmly where they are and what has occurred, and remain with them until they are safely recovered.
Brief seizures may need little intervention
Absence, myoclonic, tonic and atonic seizures can be very short.
Someone having an absence seizure may briefly lose awareness and then continue what they were doing.
Myoclonic seizures can cause sudden brief muscle jerks.
Tonic seizures cause sudden stiffening, while atonic seizures cause a sudden loss of muscle tone and can result in a fall.
For these seizures, first aid is usually about preventing injury and checking the person afterwards rather than trying to interrupt the seizure itself.
Falls can cause injuries, particularly to the head or face, so check whether medical attention is needed.
Recovery is part of seizure first aid
The seizure ending does not always mean the person has fully recovered.
Afterwards, someone may be confused, sleepy, exhausted, emotional, sore or unable to remember what has happened. Recovery varies considerably between people and between seizure types.
Give them time and space.
Speak calmly and use simple sentences. Avoid surrounding them with lots of people or asking many questions at once.
Do not give food or drink until they are fully awake, able to swallow normally and have recovered sufficiently.
Protect their privacy if they have been incontinent, vomited, become disorientated or need help changing clothing.
Some people recover within minutes. Others may need considerably longer.
When should emergency help be called?
In the UK, call 999 for an ambulance when:
it is believed to be the person's first seizure;
the seizure continues for more than five minutes when their usual seizure duration is not known, or lasts longer than is normal for that person;
another seizure begins before they have recovered from the previous one;
they do not recover in the way they normally would;
they have difficulty breathing after the seizure has stopped;
they have been seriously injured;
there are several seizures close together and the person's care plan indicates emergency help is required; or
you are seriously concerned about their condition.
Outside the UK, use the appropriate local emergency number.
What about status epilepticus?
Most seizures stop without emergency treatment.
A seizure that continues for too long, or repeated seizures without recovery between them, can become status epilepticus. Convulsive status epilepticus is a medical emergency.
Five minutes is widely used as an important emergency threshold for a continuing convulsive seizure because a seizure that persists beyond this point is less likely to stop promptly on its own and may require emergency treatment.
Follow the person's seizure care plan
Some people with epilepsy have an individual seizure or emergency care plan.
This may explain what their usual seizures look like, how long they normally last, what support they need afterwards, when emergency services should be called and whether prescribed emergency medication should be given.
Emergency seizure medication should only be given by someone who is appropriately trained and following the person's prescribed plan.
Medical jewellery, an epilepsy identification card or information stored with the person may provide useful instructions.
A seizure in water needs extra caution
A seizure occurring in water carries an additional risk because of drowning and inhalation of water.
Keep the person's face above the water if this can be done safely and get help immediately. Once they are out of the water, check their breathing and place them in the recovery position when appropriate.
Emergency medical assessment may be needed if water has been inhaled or swallowed during the seizure.
What should a witness remember?
If it is safe to do so, useful information includes when the seizure started and stopped, what happened immediately beforehand, whether awareness changed, which parts of the body moved, whether one side was affected first, changes in breathing or colour, any injuries, and what recovery looked like afterwards.
For someone being investigated for seizures, an accurate witness description can be extremely valuable to healthcare professionals.
The priority, however, is always the person's safety.
The most useful thing you can do
You do not need specialist medical knowledge to provide basic seizure first aid.
Keep the person safe. Stay with them. Do not restrain them or place anything in their mouth. Allow them time to recover, follow their individual care plan when one exists, and recognise when emergency help is needed.
Seizure first aid is not about trying to stop every seizure yourself. It is about reducing harm and supporting the person safely until the seizure and recovery period have passed.
Sources and further reading
This information has been developed using current guidance from the NHS, Epilepsy Action, Epilepsy Society and seizure information from the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE).
Information reviewed: September 2026.
This page provides general information and does not replace an individual's medical advice, seizure care plan or emergency treatment instructions.
