What should you know about tonic clonic seizure causes?

A seizure can occur when electrical activity in the brain becomes briefly disorganised. A low blood sugar level, high fever, dehydration, sleep deprivation or an abnormal salt level may lower the brain’s threshold for a seizure. Head trauma, stroke, a brain tumour or a nervous-system infection can also be relevant.

Alcohol withdrawal, heavy alcohol use, recreational drugs, or suddenly stopping some prescribed medicines may contribute. Some people have epilepsy, in which seizures recur because of an enduring tendency in brain activity; others have a single event linked to a temporary problem. Finding a cause requires the timing and context, not the appearance of the movements alone.

Write down what happened before, during and after the event. Include illness, fever, food intake, sleep, recent injuries, new medicines, missed doses, alcohol or drug changes, and the time recovery began. A witness’s description or a safe recording can help a clinician distinguish a seizure from other episodes.

Get emergency help for a first seizure, a seizure lasting five minutes or longer, repeated seizures without full recovery, breathing difficulty or a significant injury. Fever with a stiff neck, a severe new headache, marked weakness, pregnancy or ongoing confusion also need urgent assessment because they may signal a serious cause.

Ask whether blood glucose and other blood tests, an electroencephalogram, brain imaging or specialist referral may clarify the cause. Tell the clinician about any treatment for Hypoglycaemia, recent head injury, infection symptoms, alcohol withdrawal or changes to regular medicines.