When a Seizure Strikes, Are Your Patients Prepared?

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Lora Morn, RN: On Seizure Triggers

This article first appeared in Seizure Planning News.

Lora Morn, is a registered nurse working the Santa Monica, California school district. She has worked for over 15 years in a high school setting tending to over 3,000 students in a given year. She has 5 to 10 students with epilepsy in her care each year.

What's the #1 Seizure Trigger in the Summer?

Even if your patients or students consistently take their anti-epileptic medication, a breakthrough seizure can occur — anywhere, anytime. In her 15 years as school nurse in a California high school, Lora Morn, RN has found "lack of sleep is the number one seizure trigger for my students."  Could it be the same with your patients?

While seizure triggers differ for each patient, changes in sleep patterns are common in the summer. According to Morn, it's wise to remind your patients and/or their parents to build summer travel itineraries with rest in mind: plan for afternoon breaks, rest stops when hiking, and for light evening activities to minimize possible breakthrough seizures.

"In my opinion," Morn states, "lack of sleep is the number one seizure trigger for my students."  Lack of sleep can be caused by the stress of exams during the school year or by excitement of travel plans during the summer."

"My biggest tip," she continues, "is to have the students or their parents consciously build sleep into the program — whether it is during the school year when a good night's rest has to be part of the routine or when traveling, I'd recommend planning an afternoon rest each day and plan the travel itinerary so that evening activities are kept to a minimum. A regular full night's sleep is critical. Again, build rest into the plan."

Tips for patients and parents
  • Build sleep into any lifestyle routine
  • During the school year, keep to a consistent sleep schedule
  • When traveling, plan the itinerary so that rest is part of every day
  • Work with your physician to create a Seizure Preparedness Plan, communicate about it, and carry it with you
  • Discuss the plan with the school nurse who will pass on the information directly and discretely to the teachers
  • Carry a Plan-at-a Glance Wallet Card and if prescribed, your rescue medication with you — wherever you go. Don't leave it in the hotel with the luggage; make sure you take it with you!
 
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

DIASTAT® AcuDial™ (diazepam rectal gel) is a gel formulation of diazepam intended for rectal administration in the management of selected, refractory patients with epilepsy, on stable regimens of AEDs, who require intermittent use of diazepam to control bouts of increased seizure activity for patients 2 years and older.

In clinical trials with DIASTAT®, the most frequent side effect was somnolence (23%). Less frequent adverse events reported were dizziness, headache, pain, vasodilation, diarrhea, ataxia, euphoria, incoordination, asthma, rash, abdominal pain, nervousness and rhinitis (1%-5%). Please see full DIASTAT AcuDial Prescribing Information.