When a Seizure Strikes, Are Your Patients Prepared?

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Sue Yudovin, RN: On Seizure Preparedness Plans

This article first appeared in Seizure Planning News.

Sue Yudovin is a clinical nurse working in Los Angeles for the last 20 years. She has served the pediatric epilepsy community and has approximately 200 patients in her care.

Talking about Seizure Preparedness Planning and DIASTAT® AcuDial™ (diazepam rectal gel) with patients and families
  • Encourage each family to have a Seizure Preparedness Plan be it for work, school, camp or at home
  • If DIASAT AcuDial is prescribed, suggest that families have multiple twin packs at home and with them, especially if traveling
  • Before leaving the office, make sure the caregivers know how to administer DIASTAT AcuDial

Discussing concerns about rectally administered medication
  • Let parents and patients know that it is their choice to give or not to give rectally administered DIASTAT AcuDial
  • Some families, especially those with teenagers are reluctant to give DIASTAT AcuDial because it could possibly be embarrassing. To offset the stigma, remind patient and the parents that DIASTAT AcuDial may prevent a trip to the emergency room, which can be expensive, stressful and time consuming
  • Reassure patient and parents that the use of DIASTAT AcuDial can be done very quickly and very discretely—Recommend that a blanket be part of their Seizure Preparedness Plan and that in an emergency a jacket works as a great cover as well.
 
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.