What To Do
What To Do If Someone Has a Seizure for the First Time
Key Takeaway: If someone has a seizure for the first time, protect them from injury, time the seizure, call 000, and check breathing as soon as the seizure stops. Do not restrain them and do not put anything in their mouth.
The big difference here is that there is no known seizure plan and the cause is not yet clear, so a first-time seizure needs urgent medical assessment.
🚨 Quick Action Guide
| Situation | Action |
|---|---|
| First known seizure starts | Stay calm, move hazards away, protect the head, and time the seizure |
| You believe this may be their first seizure | Call 000 because there is no known seizure plan and they need urgent medical assessment |
| Still shaking | Do not restrain them and do not put anything in the mouth |
| Seizure stops and they are breathing | Recovery position, monitor breathing, reassure, and wait with them |
| Not breathing normally after the seizure | Call 000 if not already done and start CPR immediately |
Table of Contents
🚨 What To Do Immediately
1. Stay calm and make the area safe
Move away sharp, hard, or hot objects and protect the head with something soft if you can. Focus on reducing injury first.
2. Time the seizure
Look at the clock or start a phone timer. Healthdirect’s seizure guidance notes that seizure length matters, especially once the event reaches 5 minutes.
3. Call 000
Because this is the first known seizure, treat it as a medical emergency. Epilepsy Foundation, Better Health Channel, and Healthdirect all include a first seizure among the reasons to call an ambulance.
4. Do not hold them down and do not put anything in the mouth
Do not try to stop the jerking and do not give food, drink, tablets, or water during the seizure.
5. When the seizure stops, check breathing straight away
If they are breathing but not fully awake, place them in the recovery position and keep watching closely. If they are not breathing normally, follow DRSABCD, call 000 if you have not already, and start CPR.
6. Stay with them until help takes over
After a seizure, people can be confused, frightened, sleepy, or slow to respond. Keep the space quiet and do not leave them alone.
📞 Call 000 Straight Away
With a first-time seizure, the ambulance call is not something to delay while you “wait and see”.
- It is the person’s first known seizure
- The seizure lasts 5 minutes or more
- A second seizure starts soon after the first
- They do not wake properly, or breathing stays abnormal
- They are injured, pregnant, have diabetes, or the seizure happened in water
This matches Healthdirect’s ambulance advice and Better Health Channel’s seizure first aid advice, and Epilepsy Foundation also notes that a seizure with no available management plan should be treated as a 000 call. If the seizure happened in a bath, pool, or other water setting, our guide to what to do if someone has a seizure in water explains the extra risks.
🧠 Why a First-Time Seizure Changes the Response
If someone has an established seizure disorder, there may already be a diagnosis, a known seizure pattern, and an action plan. A first-time seizure is different because none of that background is in place yet.
Healthdirect notes that seizures can be linked to epilepsy, head injury, infection, stroke or brain bleed, medicines, tumours, or other medical conditions. That is why your job is not to decide the cause. Your job is to keep the person safe, check breathing, and get urgent medical help.
Even if the person wakes up and says they feel okay, do not assume the emergency is over. A first seizure still needs medical review, and they should not simply get up and drive themselves away.
If you want a broader overview after the emergency, our guide to first aid for seizures explains the standard response in more detail.
📝 What To Tell 000 and Paramedics
Give the clearest facts you have
Tell them this appears to be the person’s first seizure, when it started, how long it lasted, whether the whole body stiffened or jerked, whether they hit their head, and how they were breathing afterwards.
Pass on anything medically important
If you know about recent illness, head injury, pregnancy, diabetes, alcohol withdrawal, or medicines, mention that. If you do not know, say so clearly instead of guessing.
Keep watching after the shaking stops
Healthdirect advises checking breathing, using the recovery position if safe, and not giving food or drink until the seizure has completely stopped. If they fall asleep afterwards, keep monitoring breathing.
❌ What Not To Do
Do not hold them down.
Do not put anything in the mouth.
Do not force food, drink, or tablets straight after the seizure.
Do not leave them alone once the seizure stops.
Do not assume it is safe for them to stand up, walk off, or drive just because they seem embarrassed or want to leave.
🎓 Why First Aid Training Matters
A first-time seizure feels high-pressure because you do not know the person’s history and you are trying to balance injury prevention, breathing checks, and the 000 call at the same time. In a HLTAID011 Provide First Aid course, you learn how to respond to seizures, unconscious casualties, breathing emergencies, and recovery-position care. That kind of first aid training helps you act calmly when the emergency is unfamiliar, not just when it is obvious.
Need A First Aid Course?
FAQs
Do I always call 000 if it is someone’s first seizure?
What if the seizure stops quickly and they seem okay afterwards?
Should I try to wake them up or give them water after the seizure?
What details should I remember for the ambulance?
Quick Summary
If someone has a seizure for the first time:
• Protect them from injury
• Time the seizure
• Call 000
• Do not restrain them
• Do not put anything in the mouth
• When it stops, check breathing
• Breathing but unconscious → recovery position
• Not breathing normally → start CPR
• Stay with them and pass clear details to paramedics
