People with epilepsy are heading back to high school, college and grad school. So here are 5 things to remember about administering rescue medications.
1. Who can administer epilepsy rescue medication?
Rescue medication is designed for prompt administration by anyone—school nurse, teacher, coach, or others. Some medications are more user-friendly than others.
2. Is a rescue medication a replacement for antiseizure medications?
No. People with epilepsy still need to take their regular antiseizure medication. Rescue medication is intended to support people with epilepsy who experience seizure clusters or extended seizures.
3. Can people with epilepsy carry rescue medication with them?
This depends on the campus and the medication. Some rescue medications have packaging that is small, portable, discreet, and intended to be carried.
4. How soon after a seizure starts can a rescue medication be administered?
Most rescue medications may be administered at any point during a seizure, including as soon as onset occurs.
5. Do I need to call EMS after administering rescue medication?
It is not necessary to call EMS after administration of rescue medication unless another seizure begins.
Jessica Keenan Smith is a patient advocate and epilepsy community leader with more than 15 years of experience. As Founder and CEO of Living Well With Epilepsy and Executive Director of ASENT she bridges the gap between the scientific and patient communities, with a particular focus on the needs of the epilepsies. Jessica Keenan Smith is Founder and CEO of Living Well With Epilepsy, an award winning online resource for people affected by epilepsy to share stories and access in-depth information on the disease. Since 2009, Living Well With Epilepsy (https://livingwellwithepilepsy.com) has been featured in Forbes, Wired, NBC, NPR and the cover story of Epilepsy Advocate Magazine and has partnered with companies such as UCB, Lundbeck, Sunovion, Eisai, and more. Ms. Smith is also the Executive Director of the American Society for Experimental Neurotherapeutics (ASENT) (https://asent.org), an organization that brings together leaders from industry, academia, government and advocacy who are engaged in bringing drugs and devices to market across all neurologic disease states. In this role she is responsible for leading a successful scientific journal and annual scientific conference with speakers from all over the world.
People with epilepsy are heading back to high school, college and grad school. So here are 5 things to remember about administering rescue medications.
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