Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a disorder that causes abnormal electrical signals in the brain. The abnormal brain signals cause seizures. The seizures can cause strange sensations and behavior. Sometimes it causes muscle spasms and a change in or loss of consciousness.

Some of the symptoms of a seizure are:

• uncontrollable twitching, shaking, or jerking of part of the body, such as the face, arms or legs
• stiffening of the body
• seeing, hearing, touching, or tasting things that are not really there
• strong feelings of fear or déjà vu, which is the feeling that you are experiencing something that has happened before even though you know it hasn't
• loss of consciousness
• loss of control of your bladder so that you wet yourself, or
• appearing confused or in a haze

Just before you have a seizure you may see flashing lights or hear noises. This is called an aura and can be a warning that you are about to have a seizure. You may have a period of time after the seizure when you feel sleepy.

Epilepsy is usually treated with anticonvulsant medicine to stop the seizures. Several other, newer treatments are being explored. These include:

• surgery on the area of the brain where the seizures occur, or
• stimulation of a nerve in the neck by a device placed under the skin

When you have a seizure, your friends and family should:

• Help you lie down on a bed or the floor.
• Loosen the clothing around your neck and remove eyeglasses.
• Let you move freely. They should not try to hold you down.
• Move things away from you that could hurt you.
• Not put anything in your mouth.
• Turn you on your side as you start to wake up, in case you throw up.
• Move you ONLY if you are in a place where you could get hurt, and
• Check to make sure you are breathing.

If you are having a seizure and not breathing, someone should call 911. If they know CPR, they should start giving you CPR.

You should wear a medical ID bracelet or necklace so others can know you have epilepsy in case of an emergency.

Disclaimer: This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information provided is intended to be informative and educational and is not a replacement for professional medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.

HIA File neur3410.htm Release 13/2010