title: Add-on lacosamide: a retrospective study on the relationship between serum concentration, dosage, and adverse events.
abstract: We performed a retrospective study in patients with poorly controlled epilepsy treated with add-on lacosamide (LCM) to investigate the relationship of LCM-related adverse events with LCM serum concentration and weight-dependent dosage. We collected serum concentrations, weight-related dosages, and occurrences of the seven most frequent adverse events according to the randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trials. Seventy of 131 patients could be sufficiently evaluated. LCM serum concentrations and weight-related dosages in patients with and without typical adverse events did not differ significantly. Closer analysis of the data suggested that dizziness as the leading adverse event occurred significantly more often if LCM was combined with classic sodium channel blockers. There was a significant correlation between LCM serum concentrations and co-medication, so there is still evidence for dependent variables that might have a relevant impact in individual cases. However, our data do not allow definition of a safety range for LCM.
authors.affiliation: Kork Epilepsy Centre, Kehl-Kork, Germany.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hillenbrand
authors.forename: Ilona
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Wisniewski
authors.forename: Uta
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Jürges
authors.forename: Bernhard J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Steinhoff
mesh_terms: D000081:Acetamides / Q000097:blood* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000097:blood* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004347:Drug Interactions; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000078334:Lacosamide; D016014:Linear Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000081:Acetamides; D000927:Anticonvulsants; D000078334:Lacosamide