What are antiepileptic drugs?
Antiepileptic medications work in different ways to prevent seizures, either by decreasing excitation or enhancing inhibition. Specifically, they act by either: Altering electrical activity in neurons by affecting ion (sodium, potassium, calcium, chloride) channels in the cell membrane.
What are the most common antiepileptic drugs?
Summary of Antiepileptic Drugs
| Narrow-spectrum AEDs: | Broad-spectrum AEDs: |
|---|---|
| – carbamazepine (Tegretol) | – topiramate (Topamax) |
| – oxcarbazepine (Trileptal) | – zonisamide (Zonegran) |
| – gabapentin (Neurontin) | – levetiracetam (Keppra) |
| – pregabalin (Lyrica) | – clonazepam (Klonopin) |
What are the side effects of antiepileptic drugs?
Common side effects include dizziness, nausea, vomiting, tremor, hair loss, weight gain, depression in adults, irritability in children, reduced attention, a decrease in thinking speed. Over the long term, the drug can cause bone thinning, swelling of the ankles, irregular menstrual periods.
Are antiepileptic drugs addictive?
There is no systematical research about the topic of dependence on antiepileptic drugs (AED) for patients with epilepsy, despite the fact that barbiturates and benzodiazepines comprise a potential risk of dependence.
What is the safest seizure medicine?
“[Lamictal] seems to be the winner,” Marson says. The second trial looked at 716 patients newly diagnosed with generalized epilepsy. It compared the older drug valproic acid (in the U.S., Depakote is the most popular member of this drug family) to Lamictal and Topamax.
How many antiepileptic drugs are there?
There are over 20 AEDs and each has a particular type or types of seizures that it works for. The choice of AED firstly depends on the type of seizures you have, and which AED works for these seizures. NICE has recommendations about which AEDs should be used for different types of epilepsy and seizures.
Do seizures ever go away?
While many forms of epilepsy require lifelong treatment to control the seizures, for some people the seizures eventually go away. The odds of becoming seizure-free are not as good for adults or for children with severe epilepsy syndromes, but it is possible that seizures may decrease or even stop over time.
Is seizure medication for life?
Most doctors will consider tapering the dosage and discontinuing your seizure medicines after a seizure-free period of 2 to 4 years. If you have had only one seizure, some doctors will consider discontinuing the medicine if you have been seizure-free for 6 to 12 months.
What do seizures feel like?
Some seizures cause the body to jerk and shake (a “fit”), while others cause problems like loss of awareness or unusual sensations. They typically pass in a few seconds or minutes. Seizures can occur when you’re awake or asleep. Sometimes they can be triggered by something, such as feeling very tired.