In addition to the involuntary muscle contractions and impaired consciousness often seen with partial seizures, certain types of sensory abnormalities may occur. These may appear when areas of the brain associated with processing sensory information or emotions are affected. These sensory symptoms include:

• Visual changes (e.g., hallucinations)
  
  
• Dizziness
  
  
• Abnormal tastes, smells
  
  
• Sense of déjà vu (feeling as if one is repeating a particular situation)
  
  
• Sudden, intense emotions (e.g., fear, joy)

Some people who have partial seizures that originate in the temporal lobe of the brain also experience symptoms such as a flushed sensation, sweating, nausea or abdominal pain before or during the seizure.

Immediate medical attention should be sought if a person has no history of previous seizures, or if any of the following symptoms occur:

• Physical injury is sustained during the seizure
  
  
• The seizure lasts 5 minutes or longer
  
  
• The patient fails to regain a normal state of mind within an hour after a seizure