When a child or adult has never had a seizure before, the first seizure should be followed by a careful medical evaluation to help the doctor decide whether to recommend treatment with seizure preventing drugs, or to wait and see whether it occurs again.

The most important factor in deciding whether to begin drug treatment for a single seizure is the probability of further seizures.

Physicians use both diagnostic tests and careful evaluation of the seizure itself to determine how likely it is that the patient may have more seizures in the future. Age, family history, and possible causes of the seizure are among the factors that are considered. Non-medical issues, such as loss of driver’s license or worries about impact on employment, may also enter into the decision.