Diagnoses & Treatment

All seizures — even seizures that
happen just once or for the first time — need to be reported to a healthcare professional. Seizures have many causes. A healthcare professional will need to perform several tests before a diagnosis can be made.

The most common epilepsy treatment option is a prescription anti-epileptic drug (also called an anti-convulsant or anti-seizure). Many people with epilepsy can manage their seizures with these medications.

Is it epilepsy?

One seizure does not mean that a person has epilepsy. People with epilepsy have repeated seizures.

Many people experience a single seizure during their life. Typically, it will be provoked by a factor such as extreme stress, sleep deprivation, or excessive alcohol intake. As long as the provoking factor is avoided in the future, most people won't have another seizure. Nine out of 10 people who have these provoked seizures do not go on to develop "true" epilepsy - that is, repeated, unprovoked seizures. The risk that a child who has febrile seizures developing epilepsy is even lower - about 2 in a 100.

Consult your Physician

If you think you have had a seizure and have not had one before, you may need to see a Neurologist. Not all sudden changes in behavior are seizures. It is important to have your condition properly diagnosed.

Epilepsy treatment strategies

When investigations have found a specific cause of seizures, such as a brain abscess or low blood sugar levels, Neurologists will try to treat the underlying cause to prevent seizures.