title: Use of modafinil in patients with epilepsy.
abstract: Fatigue and excessive daytime sleepiness are common symptoms in patients with neurological injury. Modafinil has been shown to ameliorate these symptoms, but its use in patients with seizures has been limited because of safety concerns. Using a large centralized clinical registry, we performed a retrospective chart review of patients with a diagnosis of epilepsy who were given modafinil over a 10-year period. A total of 205 patients were analyzed. There were 91 patients who had seizures while taking modafinil; there was no relationship between modafinil dosage and whether the patient had seizures. There were 6 patients in whom modafinil was discontinued because of concern for seizure exacerbation, and 4 patients had de novo seizures after starting modafinil. In 29 patients with epilepsy only, no major seizure exacerbation was seen. Modafinil is potentially safe in patients with epilepsy, but further prospective studies are needed to fully determine its safety and efficacy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Elinor
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Artsy
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: McCarthy
authors.forename: Shelley
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hurwitz
authors.forename: Milena K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Pavlova
authors.forename: Barbara A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Dworetzky
authors.forename: Jong Woo
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000077408:Modafinil; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D000077408:Modafinil