Warning Signs of Seizures –
- While a variety of behaviors occur during different types of seizures, not all behavioral changes are necessarily seizures.
- Usually, seizures are unpredictable, episodic, brief, and stereotypic.
- Keeping track of your seizure warning signs can help inform your health care team on your treatment and care.
- If you notice warning signs for seizures, get to a safe place, tell someone what is going on, and follow your seizure response plan.
When sorting out symptoms, consider these four main characteristics of seizures:
Seizures Are Usually…
- Unpredictable – you often can’t predict when and where a seizure may happen
- Episodic – seizures can come and go
- Brief – usually last only seconds to a few minutes
- Stereotypic – symptoms are similar whenever they occur
Now, consider the different feelings or behaviors that may occur at the beginning, middle, or end of a seizure. Sometimes these symptoms may be considered a warning to a seizure or are part of the seizure itself. If any of these symptoms are present, start keeping track of what occurs and share it with your doctor. Some warning signs of possible seizures may include:
- Odd feelings, often indescribable
- Unusual smells, tastes, or feelings
- Unusual experiences – “out-of-body” sensations; feeling detached; body looks or feels different; situations or people look unexpectedly familiar or strange
- Feeling spacey, fuzzy, or confused
- Periods of forgetfulness or memory lapses
- Daydreaming episodes
- Jerking movements of an arm, leg, or body
- Falling
- Tingling, numbness, or feelings of electricity in part of the body
- Headaches
- Unexplained confusion, sleepiness, weakness
- Losing control of urine or stool unexpectedly
