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Safety Tips

Tips to help reduce the risks associated with epilepsy

There are always risks involved with any neurological diagnosis, especially Epilepsy. With epilepsy/seizure disorder, individuals can reduce their seizure risk by following these helpful guidelines/precautions:

  1. Take your medicine. Make sure you are consistently taking your medications on time, every day, exactly as prescribed by your doctor.
  2. Keep a health diary. It will be essential to include certain things like seizure activity, medications prescribed, and the side effects you are experiencing, test results, and questions for your doctor.
  3. Create and share a seizure response plan. Get your doctor’s input and share your plan with family, friends, coworkers, and teachers, and anyone else in your inner circle
  4. Know your seizure triggers. For many people, not getting enough sleep, drinking too much alcohol, or stress can cause seizures.

Your best safety advice comes from knowing yourself and your seizure activity. Here are some additional safety tips, especially if you have tonic-clonic seizures.

To Avoid Injuries from Falls:

  • Consider placing protective padding on furniture with sharp edges
  • Install soft flooring like carpets with thick padding to cushion the impact.
  • Put soft “outdoor carpeting” in hard surfaces outside.
  • Try to locate homes or apartments without steps if you have active seizures.

When On-The-Go:

  • It is not recommended that you drive if you have been experiencing consistent seizures or have had a seizure within the last year
  • You should carry information about your condition, medications, and emergency contacts whenever you travel. You should consider getting a medical alert bracelet.
  • When traveling by air, carry your medication in your carry-on, and take extra just in case your return home is delayed.
  • Ask your doctor how you should schedule your medicines in different time zones.

At Work/School:

  • Consider the risks specific to your workplace and see if anything can be changed to make it safer.
  • Have a conversation with your employer about creating a seizure action plan, and ask to plan a training to educate your coworkers about seizure safety.
  • Keep extra clothes at work in case you need to change after a seizure.

Call 911 if:

  • A seizure lasts more than 5 minutes and/or the person is unresponsive.
  • A second seizure begins immediately after the first.
  • A seizure occurs in water.
  • The person is injured.
  • The person is pregnant or has diabetes.
  • This is an individual’s first seizure.

Driving and Epilepsy

Visit your local DMV or department of transportation website for driver services, forms, and detailed information regarding driving with epilepsy.

The debate surrounding driving while being diagnosed with epilepsy or a seizure disorder can be an emotionally charged issue. For adolescents and young adults alike, studying and getting your driver’s license has become a rite of passage into independence and adulthood.

Today, many people living with epilepsy or a seizure disorder are able to drive. If your seizures are controlled and all of the non-medical requirements for receiving a driver’s license are met, you should have no difficulty in most states obtaining a beginner’s permit or driver’s license.

The first step to apply for a driver’s license or to resume driving after a seizure is to discuss the matter with your physician. Protecting your personal safety and the safety of everyone traveling our roads and highways is a major concern. If your seizures are not medically controlled, you should not drive.

Epilepsy and seizure disorders are only dangerous when they are not under medical control. In most states, you must be seizure-free for six months before you will be permitted to drive. Your physician will be required to complete a medical report stating that your seizures are controlled and send that report to your local DMV or department of transportation.

Safety Tips Resource Library

Seizure First Aid Resources
Ready, Set, REACH Seizure Recognition and First Aid Poster

Seizure First Aid Pocket Guide