VNG · Learning Center

Seizure safety & first aid

Understand your condition · Build safer routines

Sources checked September 2026

Understand & manage

Stay nearby, time the seizure, clear hazards, and cushion the head. When safely possible, turn the person onto their side.
Do not restrain movements or put objects in the mouth. Wait until fully alert before offering food, drink, or oral medicine.
Follow a written seizure action plan. Discuss safer bathing, supervised swimming, heights, cooking, and driving restrictions with your clinician. Take daily medicines as prescribed.

When to get medical help

Call 911 at five minutes, for repeated seizures without recovery, a first seizure, breathing difficulty, serious injury, a seizure in water, or pregnancy. Follow an earlier emergency threshold in the individual plan. Also call for diabetes with loss of consciousness.

Bring this question to your visit

Who has a copy of my seizure action plan and knows when to call 911?

Education & translation notice

For educational and informational purposes only. This content is not medical advice and does not replace medical consultation or evaluation. Call 911 for any medical emergency. Do not change medicines or begin exercises based only on this page. Ask your clinician about new or worsening symptoms, falls, medication side effects, and the right level of care. For severe or sudden symptoms, serious injury, breathing difficulty, or another medical emergency, call 911; do not wait for a website, form, or chatbot reply. English and translated summaries can contain errors or become outdated. Spanish and other translations may lose medical meaning; confirm important instructions with your clinician and a qualified interpreter. Linked materials may have different regional emergency numbers; in the United States use 911.