Anti-epileptic Drugs; FDA Approved Drugs Often Prescribed For People with Seizures


Anti-Epileptic Drugs

Anti-epileptic drugs (or anticonvulsants) are often used to treat people with seizures. They help control seizures in around 7 out of 10 of people. These drugs are usually taken once or twice each day. Sometimes it is taken 3 times a day. It's important to take it regularly, as prescribed by the doctor because missing a dose can increase the risk of having a seizure. Anticonvulsants work by changing the levels of chemicals in the brain. Anti-epileptic drugs are approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat seizures.

Anti-Epileptic Drugs are also used to treat many other medical conditions unrelated to seizure disorders. Anticonvulsants help to normalize the way nerve impulses travel along with nerve cells which helps treat or prevent seizures. These drugs are often used to treat children with epilepsy. Epilepsy is a central neurological disorder in which brain activity becomes abnormal, causing seizures or periods of unusual behavior, sensations, and sometimes loss of awareness. Around two percent of the pediatric population has epilepsy.

Moreover, around two-thirds of all children with epilepsy outgrow their seizures by the time they are teenagers. Therefore, there is an increasing demand for anti-epileptic drugs in the U.S. Majority of people with epilepsy can become seizure-free by taking anti-epileptic medication. Others may reduce the frequency/intensity of the condition by taking a combination of medications. The drugs are not a cure, but seizures don't always last a lifetime; in as many as half of people with epilepsy, the seizures may stop on their own.

Medicines used in the treatment of epilepsy and seizures include Phenobarbital, Valproic acid (Depakene), Lamotrigine (Lamictal), Oxcarbazepine (Oxtellar, Trileptal), Gabapentin (Gralise, Neurontin), Phenytoin (Dilantin, Phenytek), Carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Tegretol), Topiramate (Topamax), and Zonisamide (Zonegran), among others. However, treatment of epilepsy, antiepileptic drugs are prescribed, and preference of the drug depends on the age of the patient, type of seizures to be treated, the seriousness of the seizures, and part of the brain involved.

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