title: Myoclonic status epilepticus following high-dosage lamotrigine therapy.
abstract: An 8-year-old girl with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome showed a partial reduction in seizure frequency when lamotrigine (LTG), 15 mg/kg per day, was added to clobazam (CLB) and vigabatrin (VGB). An increase in LTG dosage to 20 mg/kg per day produced no further improvement and was followed by myoclonic status epilepticus. The condition developed insidiously and ultimately became stable. Video-EEG polygraphy and jerk-locked back-averaged EEG demonstrated continuous myoclonus of cortical origin. Discontinuation of LTG resulted in rapid disappearance of clinical and electrophysiological manifestations of myoclonic status epilepticus. No episodes of myoclonus occurred in the subsequent 2 years, during which CLB and VGB were kept unchanged. The striking response to drug discontinuation suggests that LTG may have played a role in the precipitation of status, possibly within the context of paradoxical intoxication.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Child Neurology and Psychiatry, University of Pisa, Italy. guerrini@inpe.unipi.it
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Guerrini
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Belmonte
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Parmeggiani
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Perucca
mesh_terms: D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000187:drug effects; D004831:Epilepsies, Myoclonic / Q000139:chemically induced*; D004832:Epilepsy, Absence / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000077213:Lamotrigine; D013226:Status Epilepticus / Q000139:chemically induced*; D013577:Syndrome; D014227:Triazines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D014227:Triazines; D000077213:Lamotrigine