title: Pharmacotherapy of epilepsy: state of the art and developments.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A discussion of modern day practice and new developments in antiepileptic drug treatment.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Important principles of antiepileptic therapy are addressed--starting with antiepileptic drug therapy, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, therapeutic drug monitoring, drug-induced adverse effects and the withdrawal of antiepileptic drugs. Furthermore, the pathophysiology of focal and generalized epilepsies and the mechanism of action of several antiepileptic drugs are briefly reviewed. Modern treatment algorithms for different types of epileptic seizures are presented. A significant development is the introduction of new antiepileptic drugs and particularly of those drugs that have been developed according to the latest insights into pathophysiology. Also of interest is the increased focus on adverse effects and on quality of life. Partly due to these developments, combining antiepileptic drugs has received renewed attention in an attempt to maintain effective seizure control but with a reduction of adverse effects.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurology, University Hospital Nijmegen, PO Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Deckers
authors.forename: Y A
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Hekster
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Keyser
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Meinardi
authors.forename: W O
authors.initials: WO
authors.lastname: Renier
mesh_terms: D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants