Treatment for different seizure types 

Are all seizures treated the same?  

How seizures in children and young people are treated will vary from person-to-person. It also depends on the type of seizures you have. Your doctor will talk to you about your treatment choices.  

For more information about which treatments may be suitable for you, read the information about your seizure type. 

Or go to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) website for the most up-to-date guidelines. Read more about NICE below. 

What are the NICE guidelines? 

The NICE guidelines are a set of trusted recommendations for how healthcare should be delivered to people in England and Wales. NICE stands for National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. 

Your healthcare team will use these guidelines to help them make decisions about your health, including what treatments you may have. 

NICE create guidelines for all types of health problems, including epilepsy in children and young people. To read the full guidelines for children and young people with epilepsy, visit the NICE website. 

If you live in Scotland, your healthcare team may use SIGN guidelines. SIGN stands for Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network. They are used in the same way as NICE guidelines. To read the full guidelines for children and young people with epilepsy, visit the SIGN website. 

How are different seizure types treated?  

Seizures are treated in different ways. The treatment you have depends on the type of seizures you have. Treatments can include anti-seizure medications (meds), surgery and diet. For more information about which treatments may be suitable for your seizure type, read the information about your seizure type. Or talk to your doctor.   

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Treating focal seizures

Focal aware and focal unaware treatments may be treated differently from generalised seizures.

Find out more

What is the best treatment for my seizures?  

Your doctor will use the NICE guidelines to help them decide which treatment to choose. They may start by offering you a single medication. You may hear this being called monotherapy.1 If this does not work or you have side effects that are difficult to manage, you may have to try a few different treatments. Or a combination of treatments. It can take a while to find something that works well for you.  

Generalised seizure types

Generalised seizure types

Tonic-clonic seizures

Tonic-clonic seizures used to be called grand mal seizures. They are the type most people recognise. Tonic-clonic seizures are caused by abnormal electrical activity which affects the whole brain.

Generalised seizure types

Absence seizures

Absence seizures used to be called petit mal seizures and are more common in young people. Absence seizures are often subtle but are still very serious.

Generalised seizure types

Myoclonic seizures

Myoclonic seizures might make you jerk, roll your eyes, blink, nod, make coughing sounds, or fall to the ground (if you’re standing). They can be generalised or focal seizures.

Generalised seizure types

Tonic seizures

Tonic seizures can be generalised (affecting both sides of the brain from the start) or focal (they start in one side of the brain). The name ‘tonic’ means an ‘increase in tone or tightness’ of the muscles.

Generalised seizure types

Atonic seizures

Atonic seizures are the opposite of tonic seizures, so during an atonic seizure muscle tone is reduced, which causes you to suddenly flop forward and fall to the ground. This is sometimes called a ‘drop attack’.

1. NICE. Epilepsies in children, young people and adults. Published online 2022. 

This information was written by: 

  • Young Epilepsy Health Information experts. 

This information was reviewed by: 

  • Kirsten McHale, Nurse Consultant & Head of Health at Young Epilepsy 
  • Children and young people living with epilepsy. 

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Last updated December 2023.

We're currently reviewing this information. The next update will be 2026. If you would like to find out more about how we produce our information, or the sources of evidence we use, please contact us at healthinfo@youngepilepsy.org.uk