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A frightening but harmless condition that affects babies and young children

	Febrile seizures can cause your young child to lose consciousness briefly and can cause jerking or twitching. Turn to ConsumerReportsHealth.org to learn more about the causes of and treatments for febrile seizure.
	Subscribe to ConsumerReportsHealth.org today to find out more about effective treatments for febrile seizure.

A febrile seizure is caused by high fever. Seeing your child have a febrile seizure can be frightening, but there's usually nothing to worry about. Your child may lose consciousness, and start to jerk or twitch. Febrile seizures are usually over in a minute or two, and children recover completely.

We've brought together the best research about febrile seizures and weighed the evidence about how to treat them. You can use our information to talk with your doctor and decide which treatments are best for your child.

Key points about febrile seizure

• Simple febrile seizures are usually over quickly, and children recover completely right afterwards. Most children don't even need treatment.
• Giving a child acetaminophen and ibuprofen won’t prevent seizures, but it can reduce fever and make your child more comfortable. (However, it is important to note that acetaminophen can cause severe liver damage if you take too much.)
• Research shows that anticonvulsant drugs (used to treat epilepsy) do not prevent febrile seizures and may cause unwanted side effects.
• There are other types of febrile seizures (complex febrile seizure and febrile status epilepticus) that may last longer and take longer for your child to recover from. These seizures may require a doctor to observe and treat your child.
• Children usually outgrow febrile seizures by the time they’re 5 or 6 years of age. Seizures do not affect a child’s future learning or development.

If a febrile seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes, or if this is the first time your child has had a seizure (even if it’s less than 5 minutes in duration), you should take your child to a doctor or to a hospital, or call 911 for an ambulance. While the vast majority of febrile seizures require no treatment, it is still best to check with a doctor.

We encourage you to read our entire condition report and to consult with your doctor to learn more about febrile seizures. As a Consumer Reports Health subscriber, you’ll have access to our expert research and recommendations, and you’ll be more confident and knowledgeable about which treatments are best for your child.