Anticonvulsant drugs, growth, and development.

Anticonvulsant drugs, growth, and development.

Height and stage of puberty of 67 children with epilepsy were measured before beginning treatment with anticonvulsant drugs and annually to a maximum five years' treatment. Blood concentrations of the drugs used (phenytoin, sodium valproate, carbamazepine, ethosuximide, and phenobarbitone) were monitored throughout. No significant deviation in growth patterns was detected.

Triazoline Anticonvulsant Drugs

Substitution of anticonvulsant drugs

Changing from branded drugs to generic alternatives, or between different generic formulations, is common practice aiming at reducing health care costs. It has been suggested that antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) should be exempt from substitution because of the potential negative consequences of adverse events and breakthrough seizures. Controlled data are lacking on the risk of substitution. Howeve...

Anticonvulsant drugs in bipolar disorder

Although much progress has been made in successfully treating bipolar disorder, there is increasing awareness of the limitations of traditional treatment regimens such as lithium and neuroleptics. The large family of anticonvulsant drugs, however, appears to be capable of providing new treatment options, not only as medication of second choice in patients refractory to treatment, but often as a...

SI units and anticonvulsant drugs in paediatrics.

The concept of using SI units has now been accepted in principle by most medical practitioners in the United Kingdom, and laboratories now report most of their results in these units. During the transition period the use of conversion nomograms such as those produced by Baron' and Bold and Wilding2 have proved invaluable in helping both clinician and laboratory worker to adjust to new reference...