How to Treat Tonic-Clonic Seizures

A tonic clonic seizure occurs when there is a sudden increase in the brain's electrical activity. The person having the seizure might lose control of their muscles during the seizure, or they might experience muscle stiffness. Every year, there are approximately 120,000 new diagnoses of epilepsy in the United States, according to epilepsy.com. Of people with epilepsy, around 20 percent to 25 percent have tonic-clonic seizures.

Instructions

A Tonic-Clonic Seizure

• 1

  Take away any sharp objects or hot objects that within reach of the individual having the tonic-clonic seizure so they don't hurt themselves when their muscles go out of control. Remove them from high traffic areas if necessary.

• 2

  Communicate with people around you, explaining to them that the person you are with is having a tonic-clonic seizure. Ask someone to call 911.

• 3

  Place cushioning under their head so they don't get hurt. Roll the individual having the seizure onto their side so they don't choke. Remain a short distance away if the individual having the tonic-clonic seizure becomes agitated.

• 4

  Keep any object away from the mouth of a person having a seizure. When the seizure is finished, calmly explain to the patient what just happened.

When You Have Tonic Clonic Seizures

• 5

  Call your physician and make an appointment to get into physical examination. Keep a complete medical history in your records so you can discuss it with your doctor. This examination should rule out possible causes for the seizure and assess your chances for having epilepsy.

• 6

  Get an electroencephalogram (EEG) reading to ascertain which, if any, portions of your brain conduct an abnormal amount of electricity. If the results display seizure activity, go in for a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scan, which will locate scar tissue or structural abnormalities that might trigger seizures.

• 7

  Take prescribed anti-convulsive medications as yorr doctor orders. Some common anti-convulsant medications are Oxcarbazepine, Carbamazepine, Balproate, Phenytoin, and Lamotrigine.

• 8

  Consider surgical solutions or a vagus nerve stimulation implant according to your doctor's recommendation. The vagus nerve stimulation implant device sends electrical impulses into your chest then sends the impulses through a nerve that channels the electrical impulses into your brain.