Impact of lamotrigine on patients with refractory epilepsy: the Leicester experience.
We prospectively monitored our experience of lamotrigine as add-on therapy in 45 patients with refractory epilepsy. Nine patients (20%) withdrew from treatment due to adverse drug reactions and five patients (11%) withdrew because of a deterioration in seizure frequency. A further 17 patients (38%) showed little (< 25%) reduction in seizure number, eight patients (18%) showed a 25-50% reduction whilst 15 patients (33%) had a 50% or greater reduction in seizure number (P = 0.002). Lamotrigine was of greater benefit in patients with tonic-clonic seizures (seven of fourteen [50%] showed a > 50% seizure reduction; P = 0.01) than in patients with complex partial seizures (seven of 22 [32%] showed a > 50% seizure reduction; P = 0.02). Despite a high withdrawal rate due to ADRs, lamotrigine proved of significant benefit to one-third of our study group.
Martin
P J
PJ
Department of Neurology, Leicester Royal Infirmary, UK.
Millac
P A
PA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016903:Drug Monitoring; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000187:drug effects; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D000077213:Lamotrigine; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014227:Triazines / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D000927:Anticonvulsants; D014227:Triazines; D000077213:Lamotrigine