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Complications
By Mayo Clinic staffCertain activities could be dangerous if you have a seizure while doing them. Activities include:
- Swimming. If you go in water, wear a life preserver and don't go alone.
- Bathing. Bathing also can pose a risk of drowning. Shower instead.
- Driving a car or operating other equipment. Most states have licensing restrictions for driving for people with a history of seizures.
The force of a seizure or falling as a result of a seizure can cause injury. In extreme cases, seizures can be fatal, particularly if medication is not taken consistently or properly.
Types of injuries that can occur with seizures include:
- Joint dislocations
- Head injuries
- Bone fractures
Repeated seizures
Whether repeated seizures can cause brain damage has been studied extensively, but there's no simple answer. The longer a seizure lasts, the more likely it is to lead to changes in brain function and structure. Repeated brief seizures also can lead to brain changes, sometimes causing a normal brain to become epileptic, a process known as kindling. The seriousness of repeated seizures underscores the need for control with medication.
- Seizures and epilepsy: Hope through research. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/epilepsy/detail_epilepsy.htm?css=print. Accessed March 22, 2011.
- FDA warns about potential Topamax related birth defects. FDA Reports. http://www.fda-reports.com/alerts/?p=187. Accessed March 23, 2011.
- FDA: Aseptic meningitis risk with use of seizure drug Lamictal. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm222212.htm. Accessed March 23, 2011.
- American Academy of Neurology. Practice parameter update: Management issues for women with epilepsy — Focus on pregnancy (an evidence-based review): Teratogenesis and perinatal outcomes. Neurology. 2009;73:133. http://www.neurology.org/cgi/content/abstract/WNL.0b013e3181a6b312v1. Accessed March 23, 2011.
- Shallcross R, et al. Child development following in utero exposure: Levetiracetam vs sodium valproate. Neurology. 2011;76:383.
- Stafstrom CE, et al. Pathophysiology of seizures and epilepsy. http://www.uptodate.com/index/home.html. Accessed March 22, 2011.
- Seizure disorders. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/print/sec16/ch214/ch214a.html. Accessed March 22, 2011.
- Schachter SC. Evaluation of the first seizure in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/index/home.html. Accessed March 22, 2011.
- Zupanc M. Epilepsy in infants and children. In: Bope ET, et al. Conn's Current Therapy. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2011. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4377-0986-5..C2009-0-38984-9--TOP&isbn=978-1-4377-0986-5&about=true&uniqId=236797353-5. Accessed March 22, 2011.
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