Be Informed
Patient Education
Trusted, free guides for living with epilepsy — from the Epilepsy Foundation, the American Epilepsy Society, and other organizations we trust.
These materials are for general education — always talk with your own care team about what applies to you.
- New to epilepsy
- Seizure first aid
- Understanding SUDEP
- Functional seizures
- Safety & planning
- Driving in California
- Medication & costs
- Women & epilepsy
- Teens becoming adults
New to seizures & epilepsy
A new seizure or epilepsy diagnosis brings a lot of questions at once. These starter materials from the Epilepsy Foundation explain what seizures and epilepsy are, how treatment usually works, and how to stay safe and organized in the early months — whether the diagnosis is yours or a loved one's.
- New to Seizures and Epilepsy Toolkit Epilepsy FoundationA full starter guide — what epilepsy is, seizure types, treatment, and daily life. También en español.
- Treatment options beyond medication — one-page factsheets: Epilepsy surgery · VNS · RNS · Dietary therapies
- Printable worksheets for appointments: Questions for my health care team · My health care team
Seizure first aid
Helping someone through a seizure is simpler than many people expect. These free guides teach the basic steps the Epilepsy Foundation calls Stay, Safe, Side — along with when to call 911. They are worth a few minutes of your time even if you never need them, because someone nearby might.
- Seizure First Aid poster Epilepsy FoundationStay. Safe. Side. — the three steps on one page. Primeros auxilios en español.
- First aid for someone in a wheelchair Epilepsy Foundation
- Seizure First Aid Ready Epilepsy FoundationFree 30-minute online course with a certificate.
Understanding SUDEP
SUDEP (Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy) is the topic many families wish someone had explained sooner. It is rare, but doctors bring it up because some of the risk can be lowered. These materials explain what SUDEP is, who is most at risk, and the practical steps and questions that help.
- SUDEP Facts Epilepsy FoundationWhat SUDEP is and what may lower the risk.
- SUDEP: Knowledge Is Power Epilepsy Foundation
- SUDEP Institute brochure Epilepsy Foundation
Functional (non-epileptic) seizures
Functional seizures — also called non-epileptic or dissociative seizures — look like epileptic seizures but have a different cause, and they are real, involuntary, and treatable for many people. If you or a loved one has received this diagnosis, or if seizures have not responded to anti-seizure medication, these resources explain what is happening and where to find genuine support.
- Functional (dissociative) seizures neurosymptoms.orgPlain-language explanation written by neurologists — and how they're treated.
- Patient communities: nonepilepticseizures.com · FND Hope
Seizure safety & planning
Seizures are hard to predict, but you can plan for them. This page gathers free tools for building a seizure action plan, tracking seizures, caring for the everyday habits that affect them — like sleep and stress — and thinking through whether a seizure alert device makes sense. These materials are for people living with seizures and for the family, friends, and caregivers who support them.
- Seizure Action Plan Epilepsy FoundationFillable plan to complete with your care team. Also: adult version · more examples.
- Track your seizures: My Seizure Event Diary · My Seizure Calendar · tips for family & caregivers on observing and recording
- Wellness and Epilepsy Toolkit Epilepsy FoundationFactsheets: sleep · stress · emotional health
- Considering a seizure alert device Epilepsy Foundation
Driving in California
Driving is one of the first questions many people ask after a seizure diagnosis. California has its own rules for how doctors, the DMV, and drivers handle seizures — and losing your license is not automatic or always permanent. These resources explain, in plain terms, how the process works and what to expect.
- California driving laws & epilepsy Epilepsy Foundation
- Lapse of Consciousness Disorders California DMVHow the DMV handles medical conditions and driving.
Paying for & managing medication
For most people with epilepsy, taking anti-seizure medication (ASM) every day is the main treatment — but paying for it, refilling it on time, remembering doses, and dealing with side effects can all be real challenges. These free flyers offer practical help with each one, including programs that lower medicine costs and simple systems for staying on schedule. Two of the flyers are also available in Spanish.
- Cost help: Addressing the cost of epilepsy medicines · how insurance can help · NeedyMeds (free database of assistance programs)
- Staying on track: avoiding running out · remembering to take medicine · understanding side effects
- Self-checks: Barriers to Adherence — patient · caregiver version
- En español: el costo de los medicamentos · recordar tomar sus medicamentos
Women & epilepsy
Epilepsy can affect a woman's health differently at every stage of life — from monthly hormone changes to birth control, pregnancy planning, and menopause. This page collects plain-language resources on the questions women and girls with epilepsy most often bring to their care teams, and how to make sure those questions get asked.
- Checklist for Women and Girls Epilepsy Foundation
- Pregnant and taking seizure medicine? Enrolling in the North American AED Pregnancy Registry helps research and gives you information: 1-888-233-2334
Teens becoming adults
Sometime in the teen years, epilepsy care starts moving from a children's neurologist to an adult one. Planning that move early — instead of scrambling at 18 — makes it much smoother. These roadmaps from the American Epilepsy Society show what to work on at each age, whether your teen is headed toward full independence or will continue to need a caregiver's support.
- Adolescent transition — a plan for independence American Epilepsy Society
- Transition for families where independence is unlikely American Epilepsy Society