7 Do’s and Don’ts to prevent seizures

Sometimes it is hard to tell when a person is having a seizure. A person having a seizure may seem confused or look like they are staring at something that isn’t there. Other seizures can cause a person to fall, shake, and become unaware of what’s going on around them.

Proper diagnosis using EEG and MRI can help a health care personnel to identify the type of seizure.

No matter what type of seizure you have, it is important to have a preventive/management plan in place. Support from family and friends, making them aware of the dos’ and don’ts of handling a person with seizure.

Steps to be taken to prevent the seizure – some do’s

1. 1. Pay attention to warning signs – fear or anxiety, vertigo or head spinning, nausea, visual symptoms like light flashing, spots of light or wavy lines before your eyes. If you experience one or more of these symptoms, better to stop whatever work you are doing/driving and lie down.
   2. Follow safety protocols – By reducing falls, traffic accidents and sports injuries, it is possible to prevent post-traumatic epilepsy. Avoid swimming alone, climbing heights or cooking without supervision.
   3. The prevention of epilepsy associated with stroke is focused on cardiovascular risk factor reduction, e.g. measures to prevent or control high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity, and the avoidance of tobacco and excessive alcohol use.
   4. Follow a balanced diet and drink plenty of water – avoid skipping meals or having a long gap between meals. Ideally include 5-6 servings of fruits and vegetables in your diet. Aim for 8-10 glasses or minimum 2 liters of water in a day.

• 7-8 hours of good quality sleep – No compromise on sleep. Give your body and brain enough rest to repair and rejuvenate. Incomplete sleep or inadequate rest can be a trigger for the seizure.

1. Keep a record of seizures – it is good to track the seizures to find a pattern or make a note of trigger points so that it can be avoided in the future. This will also help a caretaker to report to the doctor to help initiate the first aid immediately if required in case of injury.
2. Good hygiene practices – thorough washing of meat/poultry/seafood/fruits and vegetables before using. Ensure that you eat homemade cooked food and avoid raw food served in restaurants especially sushi.

There are also a few things that should be avoided that can trigger seizures – Don’ts

1. Dont stress – stress management is an important aspect of prevention. Yoga, pranayama, proper time management and setting the priorities can help to reduce the stress and manage it better.
2. Don’t drive – if you have had a recent seizure within 6 months, avoid driving on your own
3. Don’t smoke – quit smoking. Nicotine is known to be a trigger in susceptible people, smoking also increases the risk for stroke or cardiovascular diseases
4. Avoid falling sick – take flu shots to protect yourself from fever during the cold season. Follow proper hygiene practices like wearing masks in public places, wash your hands well etc. Ensure proper intake of paracetamol or fever lowering medication as per doctor’s advice.
5. Avoid/limit alcohol intake – The seizure threshold is raised by alcohol drinking and declines on cessation of drinking. Available data seem to suggest that the prevalence of epilepsy among alcoholics is at least triple that in the general population, and that alcoholism may be more prevalent among epileptic patients than in the general population.
6. Don’t skip medication – Take seizure medicines as per the dosage advised by the doctor. Keep a reminder or take help of an app to ensure that you don’t forget to take the medicines. Even skipping once or twice can trigger seizures.
7. Avoid taking any medicines without doctor’s consultation – Do not experiment with new medicines that friends recommend or that you find advertised online as producing “miracle” results. Your doctor has recommended medications for a reason. Consult him before thinking of trying anything different.