Prepared, together
Seizure Action Plans and Rescue Medicine: Getting Prepared
A seizure action plan is a written guide to the person's usual seizures, first aid, prescribed rescue medicine, and when to get emergency help. You can prepare one with the care team and share it with the people who may help. Not everyone with epilepsy needs rescue medicine.
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Choose a useful starting point
Write the plan together
Record usual seizures, first aid, medicine instructions, and contacts.
Prepare before it is needed
Find supplies, check instructions, and practice with the care team.
Help during a seizure
If help is needed now, go straight to first aid and emergency guidance.
Helping during a seizure right now?
Helping during a seizure right now? Use our seizure first-aid steps and emergency guidance. Call 911 for trouble breathing or waking, a prolonged seizure, or another emergency; follow any earlier threshold in the person’s action plan.
What are seizure clusters?
Clusters are groups of seizures that happen closer together than is usual for the person. The person usually recovers between seizures. There is no single seizure count or time window that defines a cluster for everyone.
Longer seizures, shorter gaps, or poor recovery between seizures are concerns that need prompt attention. Repeated seizures without recovery or a prolonged seizure can be a medical emergency. The care team should write down the person’s pattern and the response it needs.
What the plan should include
- Recognize: what usual seizures look like, how long they last, and how recovery normally looks.
- Respond: first-aid steps, when to start timing, and when to call 911 or the care team.
- Give prescribed medicine: if needed, its name, route, dose, exact trigger, repeat-dose rules, and what to watch for afterward.
- Find help: emergency contacts, who is trained to give medicine, and where the plan and supplies are kept.
Get an Epilepsy Foundation seizure action plan form and fill in the medical instructions with the care team. If an answer is missing, turn it into a question for the prescriber.
How rescue medicine fits in
Rescue medicine is prescribed for selected prolonged or repeated seizures. It is different from regular daily seizure medicine. The appropriate medicine and route depend on the person and the situation.
A trained helper should use only the person’s prescription and written instructions. Never copy another person’s dose or guess about repeat dosing. Do not give food, water, or pills to someone who is not fully awake and able to swallow; prescribed rescue routes require specific training. Rescue medicine does not replace emergency care.
Get ready before the plan is needed
- Check the instructions. Make sure the plan is current and that helpers can explain when to give medicine and when to call 911.
- Find the supplies. Check expiration dates, storage instructions, and access at home, school, work, or other places the person spends time.
- Practice with the care team. Ask for a demonstration and have helpers show the steps back. Confirm any school or workplace requirements.
- Keep a record afterward. Note seizure times, recovery, any medicine and when it was given, its effect, and breathing changes. Ask the care team how to report a new or worsening pattern.
Questions for the care team
- What does a seizure cluster look like for me or the person I support?
- Is rescue medicine needed? If so, what exact event tells us to use it?
- Can a dose be repeated, and when should we call 911 instead of waiting?
- What breathing changes or other effects should helpers watch for?
- Who needs training, and how do we keep the instructions current?
- What can we do if cost or access makes it hard to keep medicine available?
Two useful terms
Rescue medicine: prescribed medicine for an urgent seizure situation specified in the person’s plan.
Status epilepticus: a seizure emergency involving a prolonged seizure or repeated seizures without recovery. Do not wait for a diagnosis before calling for help when emergency criteria are present.
Optional reading: research behind the questions
These summaries describe particular papers. They do not replace the person’s prescription or action plan.
- Research on adding seizure action plans to routine care.
- A study of diazepam nasal spray and seizure clusters.
For practical instructions, start with first aid and the free printable. For background on breathing concerns, read our breathing-changes review summary.
Sources and page information
Established first-aid and individualized action-plan guidance; checked October 5, 2026.
Published by Epilepsy Explained. Suggest a correction: include the page URL, the passage, and a supporting source. How we prepare and correct our pages.