Living with epilepsy
Having seizures, or being told “you have epilepsy”, can affect people in different ways. This includes driving, sleep, work and travel.
Sometimes epilepsy can be hard to come to terms with.
Some people feel relieved to be given a name and treatment for their condition. Sometimes epilepsy can be hard to come to terms with. Talking about any worries, asking questions and sharing information about epilepsy may help you, or your family and friends, to make sense of what is happening.
Driving
If you drive, one immediate effect of having a seizure is that you have to stop driving. This is true for all types of seizures, and whether you have a diagnosis of epilepsy or not. For many people, this can have a big impact on their life and it may be very difficult or upsetting.
Benefits and epilepsy
Having epilepsy does not automatically entitle you to claim benefits. These are some of the benefits you may be eligible to apply for, depending on how your epilepsy affects you, and your financial situation.
Pregnancy and epilepsy
Most women with epilepsy do not have any change in their seizure frequency during pregnancy. However you might find that your seizures are better controlled during pregnancy, or that you have more seizures than is usual for you.
Work and employment
Having epilepsy does not necessarily stop someone from doing the job they want, but there are some issues which can affect them at work. Whether someone’s epilepsy affects their work depends on whether they have seizures, what their seizures are like and how often these happen.
Sport and leisure
To live full and active lives, and look after our physical and emotional wellbeing, we all need time to rest, relax and exercise. How we spend our leisure time is important and individual to us all, whether or not we have epilepsy.
Young people and epilepsy
Information for young people about epilepsy including how it may affect your life, education, relationships, driving or worklife.
Older people and epilepsy
There are many possible causes for developing epilepsy in later life. An important part of investigating epilepsy involves checking for other conditions that may look like epileptic seizures.
Women and and girls and epilepsy
Some issues around epilepsy and its treatment are specific to women and girls and do not apply in the same way to men. These include links between epilepsy and hormones, puberty, contraception, pregnancy and the menopause.
University and epilepsy
If you're considering going to university or if you’ve definitely decided that’s what you want to do, you’ll need to think about what this will mean for you in practical terms and about what support you might need, including financial support. Being well prepared will help you to make the most of your time at university.
Travel
Help with travel costs
Details of travel support schemes for people with epilepsy across the UK.
Travel and holidays
Having epilepsy should not usually prevent people from travelling. Planning ahead can help you stay well and make the most of your trip. Here are some ideas to consider if you are planning to travel.
Medication and Treatment
Diagnosing epilepsy
If there is a possibility that you have epilepsy, NICE recommends that you are referred to a specialist, (a doctor who is trained in diagnosing and treating epilepsy) within two weeks. Your diagnosis is based on finding out what happened to you before, during and after your seizures.
Epilepsy treatment
If you have just been diagnosed with epilepsy, you may have questions about medication and treatment.
Anti-seizure medication (ASM)
Anti-seizure medication (ASM), previously known as anti-epileptic drugs or AEDs, is the main type of treatment for most people with epilepsy, that aims to stop seizures from happening.