The use of a tricyclic antidepressant in epilepsy.
In this case, we report a patient with a known seizure disorder who develops an increased frequency of his seizures concommitant with severe depression. When the seizures failed to respond to the usual management, Desipramin was added to the treatment and, contrary to the idea that Desipramin lowers the seizure threshold, we found that this drug was not only effective in improving the depressive symptoms but it appeared to contribute to a rather dramatic decrease in the number of seizures being suffered by this patient.
Pineda
M R
MR
Veterans Administration Center, Jackson, Mississippi, USA.
Russell
S C
SC
D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D003891:Desipramine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004833:Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D004830:Epilepsy, Tonic-Clonic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000927:Anticonvulsants; D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic; D003891:Desipramine