Although a seizure may feel like it comes on all of a sudden, it happens in stages. Hours or even days before a seizure starts, you may begin to have symptoms.
Some common signs include:
Beginning phase (prodrome)
- Trouble sleeping
- Mood changes
- Feeling anxious
- Frouble paying attention
- Feeling light-headed
Early ictal phase (aura)
An aura is like a warning sign from your brain that a seizure has begun. You could notice one or more of the following.
Not everyone who has a seizure will have an aura, and an aura does not always progress into a seizure.
Possible symptoms include:
- Odd smells, sounds, or tastes
- Feeling dizzy
- Changes in eyesight (such as blurry or flickering vision)
- “Pins and needles” feelings in parts of the body
- Arm or leg pain
- Arm or leg twitching
- Ringing or buzzing sounds
- An out-of-body sensation
- Hallucinations (seeing things that aren’t there)
- Feelings of intense fear or panic
- Déjà vu (a sense that something has happened before)
- Jamais vu (feeling like you’re seeing something familiar for the first time)
- Nausea (feeling sick to your stomach)
- Headache
Middle (ictal) phase
The period between your very first symptom and the end of a seizure is called the ictal stage. These symptoms are what most people think of when they think of a seizure.
They include:
- Stiff arms and/or legs
- Uncontrollable lip smacking or chewing
- Vision changes and/or dilated pupils
- Racing heart
- Sweating
- Drooling
- Finding it hard to breathe
- Feeling confused or distracted
- Hearing strange sounds
- Flushed or pale skin
- Twitching
- Tremors
- Feeling unable to move or talk
- Acting oddly (such as taking off clothes or suddenly running)
- Incontinence (losing control of pee or poo)
Ending (post-ictal) phase
You may recover right away from a seizure, or it may take days before you feel like yourself again. How long this phase lasts depends on the type and severity of the seizure.
Possible symptoms include:
- Weakness in parts of the body
- Soreness
- Body aches
- Low energy
- Feeling sleepy
- Increased thirst
- High blood pressure
- Headaches or migraines
- Nausea
- Feeling confused or forgetful
- Feeling embarrassed, scared, or sad
- Finding it hard to hold pee or poo