title: Single drug therapy for intractable epilepsy.
abstract: Single drug therapy with either phenytoin or primidone resulted in complete seizure control in 11 of 35 patients (31%) referred to an epilepsy clinic for treatment of uncontrolled chronic epilepsy with complex-partial seizures. Complete seizure control was associated with an increase in the mean plasma concentrations from 14 micrograms/ml to 23 micrograms/ml phenytoin and from 34 micrograms/ml to 40 micrograms/ml phenobarbitone with no change in the antiepileptic drug. Insufficiently low plasma concentrations of less than 11 micrograms/ml phenytoin or phenobarbitone were measured at the first visit in 14 patients (40%). Non-compliance was admitted by eight patients (23%). Optimum single drug therapy is of considerable clinical value in intractable epilepsy with complex-partial seizures.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002220:Carbamazepine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004833:Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010634:Phenobarbital / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010672:Phenytoin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011324:Primidone / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D011324:Primidone; D002220:Carbamazepine; D010672:Phenytoin; D010634:Phenobarbital