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What to Do in the First 2 Minutes of Someone Else's Seizure
Aishwarya Kapoor | Times Life Bureau | Oct 20, 2026, 07:10 IST
What to Do in the First 2 Minutes of Someone Else's Seizure
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Most people freeze when someone near them has a seizure, then do the wrong thing. The instinct to hold them down, put something in their mouth, or call for help before securing the person costs critical seconds. Two minutes is about all you get before the moment passes or gets worse. Here is what those two minutes actually look like.
Highlights
- During a tonic-clonic seizure, it is crucial not to restrain the individual or put anything in their mouth, as this can cause injuries instead of helping.
- Monitor the duration of the seizure; if it lasts longer than five minutes, it is considered a medical emergency known as status epilepticus, requiring immediate assistance.
- In the postictal phase following a seizure, the person may be confused or unresponsive; it is important to stay with them and wait for their alertness to return, while also checking for a seizure action plan.
The First Thing You Do Is Nothing Dramatic
Do not grab them. Do not try to stop the shaking. Do not hold their arms down or pin their legs. The convulsion is a wave of electrical misfiring across the brain, the body is going where it is going, and force applied against that movement breaks bones, not seizures. The single first action is to look at the floor around them. If they are near a hard edge, a staircase, a road, or a fire, move the hazard or move them, gently, by sliding, not by restraining. If the ground is clear, leave them where they are and get low beside them.
The Mouth Is Off-Limits
The idea that a person can swallow their tongue during a seizure is false. The tongue is attached. What can happen is that the jaw clamps hard and the person bites the inside of their cheek, that is unpleasant but not dangerous. Putting a wallet, a spoon, a finger, or anything else between the teeth of someone in a tonic-clonic seizure will result in a broken object, a broken finger, or broken teeth. The airway does not need to be held open during the convulsion. When the shaking stops, turn the person onto their side, the recovery position, so that saliva drains out rather than pooling.
Time It and Watch It
Check the time the moment the seizure starts. Most tonic-clonic seizures resolve on their own in one to three minutes. The clinical threshold that changes what you do next is five minutes: a seizure that has not stopped by five minutes meets the definition of status epilepticus, a medical emergency requiring immediate emergency services and, where available, emergency medication. Before that threshold, calling an ambulance while the seizure is still under three minutes is premature unless the person is injured, is pregnant, is in water, has no known history of epilepsy, or has a second seizure immediately after the first. The Indian Epilepsy Society and the International League Against Epilepsy both treat five minutes as the intervention threshold for an otherwise uncomplicated seizure in a known epileptic. Watch what the body does, which limbs move, whether the eyes deviate, whether there is a cry at the onset, because this information is useful to the treating doctor.
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What Happens After the Shaking Stops
The postictal phase, the period immediately following the seizure, can look alarming. The person may be deeply confused, unable to speak clearly, combative, or unconscious for several minutes. This is normal. Do not try to bring them around quickly. Do not give them water or food. Do not leave them alone. Stay beside them, speak calmly, and let them come back at their own pace. The confusion lifts. If it does not lift within twenty to thirty minutes, that is a reason to call for medical help. Once they are alert, ask whether they have a seizure action plan, many people with epilepsy carry one, and follow it.
When to Call Emergency Services Immediately
Five minutes of continuous seizure. A second seizure beginning before the person has regained consciousness. An injury sustained during the fall. Breathing that does not resume normally once the convulsion ends. Seizure in water, even shallow water. No prior diagnosis of epilepsy. Pregnancy. Diabetes, where a seizure may signal dangerously low blood sugar requiring a different response entirely. In India, emergency services vary significantly by location; in cities, 112 is the national emergency number. If emergency services are far away, the priority is keeping the airway clear in the recovery position and staying present until help arrives or the person fully recovers.