text: what exactly is epilepsy and what do i do when my friend seizes?   i myself have seizures. epilepsy is best described as a muscle spasm in one side of the brain. everything locks up, muscles constrict and most of the time but not all the time there is the well know shaking. if your friend seizes all you need to do is put him/her on their side and watch the tongue. seizures worst side effect is vomiting and that is why you place them on their side so they will not choke on their own vomit. the tongue thing...the tongue cannot be swallowed but in lots of seizure cases the tongue is severely bitten. hope this helps...and please just stay calm...that's the best thing you could ever do. the person having the seizure doesn't want to wake up to someone freaking out whereas this can cause more stress.