Going home after your visit
After a first seizure (fit)
Simple safety advice to follow at home until you have been seen by a specialist.
You have had a seizure (a fit). You will be referred for tests to find out why it happened. Until you have been seen, please follow this safety advice — some everyday activities carry more risk after a seizure.
Your care details
To be completed by the team before you leave.
this Emergency Department your nearest A&E other:
none needed
Call 999 straight away if any of these happen
These can be signs of a more serious problem and need help urgently.
- A seizure lasting more than 5 minutes
- One fit straight after another, with no recovery between
- Trouble breathing after the fit stops
- A serious injury during the fit
- Someone has their first-ever seizure
- They do not wake up properly afterwards
CALL 999 if you are too unwell to get to hospital, or someone collapses or has a fit.
Staying safe until you are seen
- You must stop driving and tell the DVLA — this is the law, even if you feel fine.
- Take showers, not baths, and do not lock the bathroom door.
- Do not swim alone.
- Take care near heights, roads, fire and machinery.
- Tell someone close to you what to do if it happens again.
If someone has a seizure
- Cushion their head and move hard objects away.
- Do not hold them down or put anything in their mouth.
- Time how long the fit lasts.
- Once it stops, roll them onto their side.
- Stay with them until they have fully recovered.
How you may feel afterwards
For a short while after a fit it is common to feel:
Very tiredConfusedA sore tongueAching musclesA headache
You may take paracetamol or ibuprofen if you can take them. Rest until you feel back to normal.
Where to get help
999
Life-threatening emergency, or a red-flag symptom above
111
Urgent but not life-threatening, or you're not sure — call or visit 111.nhs.uk, 24/7
Your team
Use the department phone in Your care details above