Read up on Febrile seizures treatment options at Consumer Reports Health.

Febrile seizures

Key points about treatments

Seeing your child have a seizure can be really frightening. But most febrile seizures are over quickly, and they usually don't need any treatment. Most children are back to normal within an hour.

If your child has a seizure, there are things you can do to make sure they're safe. To find out more, see What should I do if my child has a seizure? If it's your child's first seizure, or if you're worried about them for any reason, take your child to see a doctor or call 911 for an ambulance.

Febrile seizures are caused by a fever (a high temperature). Acetaminophen and ibuprofen can help reduce a fever. You can buy these drugs from a pharmacy. But we don't know if taking one of these drugs during a fever can prevent a seizure.
Doctors have tried using drugs called anticonvulsants to prevent febrile seizures. Some of these drugs may help prevent febrile seizures in the short term. But they can cause side effects, so they're not usually recommended. And not all the research shows that they can help. If your child has a seizure that lasts a long time, doctors will use one or more of these drugs to stop the seizure.
The fever that triggered your child's seizure could have been caused by a cold, an ear infection or another illness. Your doctor may give your child medicine to treat an infection.
Most children who've had a febrile seizure can go home once they've been seen by a doctor. Occasionally a child might need to go to the hospital for some tests or so that doctors can keep an eye on them. This is more likely if your child is very young, their seizure seemed to have lasted a long time, or their doctor thinks they might have a more serious illness.

This information was last updated on Jun 09, 2008

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