Knowing what happens during a seizure and how often they occur are two of the most important seizure details. Keeping track of seizures can help:

Diagnose seizures

Since seizures can look and feel different from one person to the next, getting a first-person report of what is going on will help the doctor tell if the events are seizures or not, and if they are, figure out what kind of seizure it is. Knowing the seizure type will help you and your family know: how to respond to a seizure, what to be concerned about, what NOT to worry about, and when to get emergency help.

Choose treatments

Tracking seizures will also help the doctor decide which treatment is best. Not all seizure medicines work for all types of seizures. Some are better for partial seizures than for generalized ones or in people with a specific epilepsy syndrome.

Know if a treatment works

Once a medicine or other treatment is started, knowing how often seizures occur and if there are any changes in what seizures look like will help you and your team know if the medicine or other treatment is working. If seizures continue or get worse, the information you collect will help you and the doctor decide when to try a different treatment.

Identify and manage side effects

Tracking side effects of medicines on seizure calendars can help you and your doctor know how you are tolerating the drug. You can track if side effects get better over time or go away when a dose is changed. If side effects don't go away, it’s one more piece of information to use when deciding if other treatments should be tried.

Identify triggers and modify lifestyle

Tracking when seizures occur or if any triggers are present can help you identify patterns and factors that may make you more likely to have a seizure. This information can be used to help you get better seizure control.

• Medical history
• Seizure triggers

Continue to Tips for Seizure Observation

Topic Editor: Steven C. Schachter, MD and Patricia O. Shafer, RN, MN.
Last Reviewed:5/25/07