Common Seizure Triggers for Epilepsy — and What to Do About Them

After a diagnosis of epilepsy, you may worry about when the next seizure will appear, and what your body will do during the seizure. Over time, you’ll start to learn you own seizure triggers — the environmental and lifestyle factors that can cause the dysfunction in your brain that leads to a seizure’s abnormal electrical activity.

“Triggers are individual, but there are some that are universal,” says Padmaja Kandula, MD, neurologist at Weill Cornell Medicine. In this video, learn some of the most common triggers for seizures in people with epilepsy, according to Dr. Kandula.

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Written by:

Lauren Smith, MA

Lauren Smith, MA, has worked in health journalism since 2017. Before joining GoodRx, she was the senior health editor and writer for HealthiNation.

Reviewed by:

Alexandra Schwarz, MD

Alexandra Schwarz, MD, is a board-eligible sleep medicine physician and a board-certified family medicine physician. She is a member of both the AASM and the ABFM.

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