- Triggers for seizures when you’re out and about
- Telling a friend
- Epilepsy awareness cards or jewellery
- Travelling abroad
Triggers for seizures when you’re out and about
Lack of sleep, late nights, skipping meals and not taking your anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) properly can make you more likely to have a seizure.
You may need to take your AEDs out with you, so you can take them at your usual time. Where possible, carry your AEDs in their original packaging. If anyone found the drugs on you, they wouldn’t think they were illegal drugs. It’s also a good idea to ask your doctor or nurse what you should do if you ever forget to take your AEDs on time.
Photosensitive epilepsy
Around three to five in every 100 people with epilepsy have something called photosensitive epilepsy. This means their seizures can be triggered by flashing or flickering lights, or some geometric patterns. A geometric pattern is a repetitive pattern made of shapes such as lines, circles, ellipses, triangles, rectangles, and polygons.
If you’re not sure if you have photosensitive epilepsy, your doctor should be able to tell you.
Places where there are flickering or flashing lights
Clubs and other places like gigs, cinemas, theatres, theme parks and circuses might have certain lighting that could cause problems if you have photosensitive epilepsy.
Many places that use strobe lighting have warning signs to let you know. They might also advertise the use of strobe lighting on leaflets, posters or websites.
If you’ve got photosensitive epilepsy and a strobe light starts, cover one eye with the palm of your hand. This will stop the light getting through. Also, turn away from the light. This could help prevent a seizure.
Telling a friend
Although it’s up to you who you tell about your epilepsy, it can be useful if at least one person out with you knows about it. More importantly, let them know how they can help if you have a seizure.
Epilepsy awareness cards or identity jewellery
Wearing some identity jewellery, or carrying an epilepsy awareness card may help you to feel more confident about going out on your own. That way, if you have a seizure while you’re out and about, people will know what’s happening.
It can also be reassuring for your family and friends. They’ll know that if you have a seizure while you’re out, people will be aware that you have epilepsy.
Contact Epilepsy Action for your free epilepsy card or for more information and places to buy identity cards and jewellery, visit:
Travelling abroad
If you want to fly and you have uncontrolled seizures, it’s really a good idea to let the airline know. They might make some changes to help you. For example, they might let you sit in an aisle seat, in case you have a seizure.
Remember that long flights and travelling across time zones might disturb your eating and sleeping patterns. This can increase the risk of seizures.
It’s important to make sure that you would be covered by travel insurance if you had an accident or needed treatment connected to your epilepsy. Check out our website for some advice and recommendations about travel insurance.
When you go on holiday, make sure that you have enough anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) with you to last the whole trip. Keep the drugs in their original packaging and take a copy of your prescription with you. This will prove to customs officials that they aren’t illegal drugs.
There may be a problem f you live in the UK and you are going to be out of the country for more than three months. You may not be able to take enough AEDs with you. Visit the pages Getting supplies of AEDs outside the UK on our main website, to find out how you can get hold of more supplies.