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Glite Dictionary
postictal

postictal

2 9.9
The time after a seizure when a person feels drowsy or confused
  • adjective
  • /ˌpoʊstˈɪktəl/
  • Specialized
: postictal
  • After the seizure, my brother felt very tired and was in a postictal state for about an hour.

Examples

  • He looks postictal, but we've got a strong pulse.

    The Book of Henry (2017)

  • Mr. Reid, you suggested she may be in a postictal state.

    In Her Skin (2009)

  • Temporary blindness lasting from several hours to several days in the postictal period has been reported in the medical literature.

    Academic text (2013)

  • Postictal?

    In Her Skin (2009)

  • We've got grand mal seizure activity, but he's postictal now.

    The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

  • The doctor explained that the patient might experience confusion during the postictal phase after the seizure.

  • They monitored her closely, noting her postictal symptoms and ensuring she was stable.

Surface Forms

postictal positive

Morphology

postictal = ictal (opaque) = post + ictal

The term 'ictal' is specialized medical terminology not commonly known outside of medical contexts.

Etymology

Postictal combines post- meaning 'after', as in postcard, and ictal, from a word for a sudden 'strike' or 'hit' used for seizures. So postictal describes the period right after a seizure, when a person may be confused, tired, or drowsy.