BACKGROUND Patients suffering from epilepsy have an impaired health related quality of life (HRQoL) because of seizures and treatment adverse events. Epilepsy affects differently both genders, due to hormonal influence in women. The aim of this study is to assess the impact on HRQoL and treatment satisfaction in epilepsy patients treated with stable doses of lamotrigine and valproic acid. MET...

OBJECTIVE To assess the possible effects of topiramate and zonisamide use during pregnancy on fetal growth. METHODS The study population was the singleton liveborns born to women who enrolled in the North American Antiepileptic Drug Pregnancy Registry between 1997 and 2012. Data were collected through telephone interviews at enrollment, 7 months of gestation, and postpartum. The prevalence of...

OBJECTIVE To assess the relative risk of major congenital malformation (MCM) from in utero exposure to antiepileptic drug (AEDs). METHODS Prospective data collected by the UK Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register were analysed. The presence of MCMs recorded within the first three months of life was the main outcome measure. RESULTS Full outcome data were collected on 3607 cases. The overall MCM r...

PURPOSE To evaluate the efficacy, tolerability, and effects on behavior and psychosocial functioning of lamotrigine monotherapy in children with newly diagnosed typical absence seizures. PATIENTS AND METHODS Children meeting enrollment criteria (n=54) received a confirmatory 24-h ambulatory electroencephalogram (EEG) and then entered a Escalation Phase of up to 20-weeks during which lamotrigi...

NEED AND PURPOSE OF REVIEW A number of newer anti-epileptic drugs have been developed in the last few years to improve the treatment outcomes in epilepsy. In this review, we discuss the use of newer anti-epileptic drugs in children. METHODS USED FOR LOCATING, SELECTING, EXTRACTING AND SYNTHESIZING DATA MEDLINE search (1966-2013) was performed using terms newer anti-epileptic drugs, Oxcarbazep...

BACKGROUND In Belgium, new and costly antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are only reimbursed as second-line treatment, after documented treatment with conventional and cheaper AEDs has failed. The objective of this study was to describe the treatment of epilepsy in Belgium and to analyze the impact of the reimbursement restrictions on the choice of AEDs. METHODS Between May and June 2003, a sample of...

BACKGROUND During post-acute phase pharmacotherapy for bipolar disorder, there has been little empirical study to establish when emerging mania symptoms (1) are of clinical significance and (2) reflect iatrogenic events versus the natural course of illness. METHOD Secondary analyses were conducted in a previously studied group of bipolar I disorder (DSM-IV) outpatients randomly assigned to la...

UNLABELLED This study was designed to describe the course of epilepsy (in terms of seizure frequency) and to assess the variables (antiepileptic therapy regimens and others) correlated to improvement. Seizure frequency (categories: seizure free, more than one seizure/year, monthly seizures, weekly seizures and daily seizures) and antiepileptic medication were retrospectively compared between 19...

BACKGROUND Epilepsy is a recurrent chronic nervous system disease. A correct choice of antiepileptic drug is the key to control seizures and improve patient's life quality. AIM To study the effectiveness and safety of lamotrigine monotherapy for treatment of epilepsy, systemic evaluation was carried out on published comparative trials between lamotrigine and carbamazepine. METHODS The retri...