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Prevention
By Mayo Clinic staffMost of the time, a febrile seizure occurs the first day of an illness. Often, a febrile seizure occurs before parents realize that their child is ill.
Giving your child medications
Giving your child acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) at the first indication of fever will help reduce the fever, but won't necessarily prevent a seizure. And, there are some caveats to giving medications to young children. They won't shorten the course of infection, and low-grade fevers generally don't need treatment.
Ibuprofen isn't recommended for use in children under six months old, and combination cold medications with fever-reducing ingredients shouldn't be given to children under 6 years old due to the risk of side effects. Finally, don't give aspirin to a child. Aspirin may trigger a rare but potentially fatal disorder known as Reye's syndrome.
You can help control your child's fever by making sure he or she drinks plenty of fluids, and don't bundle him or her up too tightly at night.
Prescription prevention medications
Rarely, prescription medications are used to prevent febrile seizures. Anticonvulsant medications such as phenobarbital, valproic acid (Depakene) and divalproex sodium (Depakote) can prevent febrile seizures when taken daily. Oral or rectal diazepam (Valium, Diastat) also can reduce the risk of febrile seizures if taken at the time of a fever.
But these medications all have drawbacks. They carry a definite risk of serious side effects in young children. Doctors rarely prescribe these prevention medications because most febrile seizures are harmless and most children outgrow them without any problems.
