Epilepsy is a condition that affects your brain and causes seizures (fits).
Epilepsy is usually a lifelong condition. With the right treatment you can prevent seizures and live well with the condition.
Symptoms of epilepsy
Seizures can affect people in different ways. Symptoms depend on the part of the brain involved.
Possible symptoms include:
- uncontrollable jerking and shaking (fit)
- losing awareness and staring into space
- becoming stiff
- strange sensations, such as a 'rising' feeling in the tummy, unusual smells and a tingling in your arms or legs
- collapsing
Sometimes you might pass out and not remember what happened.
When to get medical help
Non-urgent advice: Contact a GP if:
- you think you had a seizure for the first time
Your GP can find out the cause of the seizure.
Emergency action required: Call 112 or 999 for an ambulance if
someone has a seizure for the first time and:
- it lasts more than 5 minutes
- has lots of seizures in a row
- has breathing problems
- injures themselves
Treatments for epilepsy
Treatment can help most people have fewer seizures or stop having seizures completely.
Treatments include:
- anti-seizure medicines - these are the main treatment
- lifestyle changes, such as getting regular sleep and keeping active
- surgery to remove a small part of the brain that causes the seizures
- a procedure to put a small electrical device inside the body that can help control seizures
- a special diet (ketogenic diet)
Some people need treatment for life. But some people can stop treatment if seizures disappear over time.
Living with epilepsy
Epilepsy is usually a lifelong condition. Most people can live well with epilespy.
Most children with epilepsy go to school and do everyday activities.
But you may need to think about your epilepsy and talk to your GP or specialist before doing things such as:
- driving
- certain jobs
- swimming
- using contraception
- planning a pregnancy
Causes of epilepsy
Epileptic seizures happen when there are sudden bursts of abnormal electrical activity in the brain.
Sometimes there is no clear cause. But genes affect how your brain works. Some people with epilepsy may also have a family member who has epilepsy.
Epilepsy can be caused by damage to the brain, such as damage from:
- a stroke
- a brain tumour
- a severe head injury
- drug or alcohol use
- a brain infection
- a lack of oxygen during birth