Health Library
The Health Library is a collection of health and wellness resources created for learning and accessibility. Select a topic below for related health information or search for a topic in the search bar for more information on other medical conditions.
Epilepsy
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Here's help understanding how your child's treatment plan can help manage and prevent seizures.
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Learn what you can do to keep someone safe during a seizure and when you need to call emergency services.
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Learn how to keep your child with epilepsy safer at home, outdoors, and at school.
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Childhood absence epilepsy develops between ages 4 and 10. It causes very brief absence seizures that may include staring into space, eye fluttering, and slight muscle jerks. Juvenile absence epilepsy develops between ages 10 and 17 and causes...
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Describes ketogenic diet and why it is used. Covers what to expect after treatment with diet as well as how well diet works. Lists risk factors and provides consideration points when using this treatment. Describes other special diets.
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There are two types of stimulator devices for epilepsy. In both types, the devices send electrical signals to the brain to prevent the electrical bursts that cause seizures. The vagus nerve stimulator (VNS) is implanted under the skin, near your collarbone. A wire (lead) under the skin connects the device to electrodes...
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If your child has epilepsy, there are many ways to lower his or her risk of injury and avoid embarrassment sometimes caused by seizures: Use waterproof pads on cribs and beds, and use padded side rails on your older child's bed. But don't use sleep...
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After you have had a seizure, it can be difficult to predict whether you will have more seizures. This makes it hard to decide whether to begin treatment for epilepsy. The first seizure you report may not actually be the first seizure you've had....
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Simple partial seizures occur in children and adults with some forms of epilepsy. They are about half as common as complex partial seizures. The person stays awake and aware during the seizure. The seizure may be only a strange smell or taste, sound...
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Most women who have epilepsy deliver healthy babies. But the risk of birth defects, stillbirth, and seizure-related problems is higher for babies born to women with epilepsy. Most antiepileptic medicines increase the risk even more. If you have...
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Covers different types of epilepsy and its causes. Addresses complications of seizures and lists risk factors. Guides through decision regarding when to call doctor. Covers exams/tests, treatments, medicines, and surgeries. Provides home treatment tips.
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If you have seizures that alter your awareness, consciousness, or muscle control, you may not have the legal right to drive. Laws vary from state to state, but in many cases you have to be seizure-free for at least 6 months to 1 year before you can...
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Epilepsy that causes generalized seizures is more common in children than in adults. Partial seizures start in a specific, often damaged area in the brain. But generalized seizures can't be traced to a specific location or focus. The abnormal...
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Generalized tonic-clonic (grand mal) seizures are the easiest seizures to recognize. They happen most often in people with generalized epilepsy of unknown cause. A generalized tonic-clonic seizure begins with a sudden loss of consciousness. During...
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Myoclonic seizures affect a small number of children and adults with generalized epilepsy of unknown cause (idiopathic). In children and teens with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, the seizures seem to occur most often after waking up or while falling...
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An atonic seizure is a sudden loss of muscle tone in the muscles that hold the body and head upright. The seizure occurs without warning and usually causes the person to fall down. Some atonic seizures may be more limited, only causing the person's...
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Tonic seizures are fairly uncommon. They occur mostly in people with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. This is a severe form of generalized epilepsy that begins in early childhood. (Children with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome may also have atonic seizures.) When a...
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Complex partial seizures occur in children and adults with certain forms of epilepsy. They are the most common type of seizure in adults. An aura may occur at the beginning of a seizure. It may consist of a strange smell, taste, sound, or visual...
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Medicine therapy for epilepsy can fail for several reasons: You do not follow the treatment plan. You have to follow your therapy routine exactly as your doctor orders, to have the best chance of keeping seizures under control. Missing a dose here or there or taking doses too close together can upset the...
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It is easy to understand people's reasons for wanting to stop medicine. Some reasons are side effects and drug toxicity, the cost and inconvenience of medicine, and, for women who want to have children, the higher risk of birth defects associated with some epilepsy medicines. If you have not had a seizure in several...
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While working with your doctor to plan a medicine routine for yourself or your child, it may help you to talk about some of the choices and issues involved. Some of the following questions might help you prepare. Some medicines for epilepsy have to...
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You may be taking one or more medicines to prevent seizures. To get the most benefit from them, you need to consistently take the right dose of the right medicine at the right time. This can be difficult. But by following a few key tips, you can do it. Become informed about the medicines you are taking. Learn their...
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Briefly describes seizures. Lists ways to help someone during and after a seizure. Covers things to watch for during a seizure as well as when to seek medical attention.
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Childhood absence epilepsy develops between ages 4 and 10. It causes very brief absence seizures that may include staring into space, eye fluttering, and slight muscle jerks. Juvenile absence epilepsy develops between ages 10 and 17 and causes...
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An atonic seizure is a sudden loss of muscle tone in the muscles that hold the body and head upright. The seizure occurs without warning and usually causes the person to fall down. Some atonic seizures may be more limited, only causing the person's...
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Epilepsy that causes partial seizures is sometimes called focal epilepsy, because the seizures start at a specific focus or location within the brain. In people with this type of disorder, the electrical charges that cause seizures begin in a...
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Epilepsy that causes partial seizures is sometimes called focal epilepsy, because the seizures start at a specific focus or location within the brain. In people with this type of disorder, the electrical charges that cause seizures begin in a...
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Epilepsy that causes generalized seizures is more common in children than in adults. Partial seizures start in a specific, often damaged area in the brain. But generalized seizures can't be traced to a specific location or focus. The abnormal...
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Generalized tonic-clonic (grand mal) seizures are the easiest seizures to recognize. They happen most often in people with generalized epilepsy of unknown cause. A generalized tonic-clonic seizure begins with a sudden loss of consciousness. During...
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Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy develops between ages 12 and 18. People with the disorder tend to have seizures that cause jerking in the shoulders or arms. Generalized tonic-clonic seizures and absence seizures may be present along with myoclonic...