Seizures: Preparing For Your Appointment

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Preparing For Your Appointment

To prepare for your appointment, see the topic Making the Most of Your Appointment.

You can help your doctor diagnose and treat your condition by being prepared to answer the following questions:

• How was your health and behavior before the seizure?
• Did you have any unusual symptoms before the seizure (aura)?
• What happened during the seizure? Ask the person who witnessed your seizure to either record this information for you or come to your doctor's appointment with you.
  • What kind of body movement occurred?
  • How long did the seizure last?
  • How did the person act immediately after the seizure?
  • Are there any injuries from the seizure?
• Have you ever had a seizure before? If so, what was the diagnosis and how were the seizures treated?
• If you have epilepsy:
  • What seizure medicines have been prescribed?
  • Has the dosage of your seizure medicine changed recently?
  • Have you taken your seizure medicine exactly as prescribed?
  • Have you taken other prescription or nonprescription medicines or consumed alcohol recently?
  • Have you used any alternative medicine products recently?
  • When was your last seizure?
  • On the average, how often do you have a seizure?
• Have you had other health problems in the past 3 months?
• Have you ever had a concussion (traumatic brain injury) in the past?
  • How long ago?
  • How severe was it?
  • Was there loss of consciousness?
  • What tests were used to evaluate your head injury?
• Have you had problems with headaches?
• Have you recently taken, stopped taking, or changed the dose of any medicines, including nonprescription medicines or illegal drugs?
• Have you suddenly reduced or stopped drinking alcohol?
• Have you recently traveled to a rural area or an undeveloped country?
• Do you have any health risks that may increase the seriousness of your symptoms?

If possible, ask the person who witnessed your seizure to come to your doctor's appointment with you. Be sure to ask your doctor what you can do to prevent another seizure and what to do if you have another seizure.

Last updated:	September 17, 2007
Author:	Jan Nissl, RN, BS
Reviewed By:	William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine, H. Michael O'Connor, MD - Emergency Medicine
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Tracy Landauer