title: Tiagabine as add-on therapy may be more effective with valproic acid--open label, multicentre study of patients with focal epilepsy.
abstract: The aim of the current study was to review the efficacy of tiagabine (TGB) as add-on therapy in patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy under normal daily clinical practice, and try to identify those who had improvement. This was an open multicentre study conducted in Poland. A group of 330 patients were analysed. Patients received TGB up to 30-50 mg/day with adjustment within the therapeutic range and titration period. For statistical evaluation chi-square test and logistic analysis were used. At the 16-week follow-up visit, 71.4% patients were reported as responders, i.e. had a 50% or greater decrease in seizure frequency compared with baseline (P<0.001). One-third of patients were seizure-free at 16-week evaluation (P<0.001). The beneficial effect of TGB on seizure reduction was most marked in patients with partial seizures (P<0.001). Patients who used valproic acid (mean dose 1307 mg/day) had 61-85% higher chances for disappearance of seizures or reduction of their number by 50% or more. Patients who used carbamazepine (mean dose 800 mg/day) at a dose 1000 mg or higher mg/day had twice lower chance for reduction of seizures by 50% or more (OR=0.45; 95 CI 0.25-0.82). There was no statistical impact of sex, age and aetiology on probability of therapeutic effect.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Epileptology, Medical Centre for Postgraduate Education, Warsaw, Poland. joannajedrzejczak@neuronet.pl
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jedrzejczak
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002220:Carbamazepine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002648:Child; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004351:Drug Resistance / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004828:Epilepsies, Partial / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009557:Nipecotic Acids / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011044:Poland; D012640:Seizures / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D012737:Sex Factors; D000078308:Tiagabine; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014635:Valproic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D009557:Nipecotic Acids; D002220:Carbamazepine; D014635:Valproic Acid; D000078308:Tiagabine