title: Treating epilepsy in the setting of medical comorbidities.
abstract: Treatment of epilepsy in patients with medical comorbidities can be challenging. Comorbidities can affect medical management and quality of life. In this review, we discuss treatment options in patients with epilepsy and medical comorbidities. In our opinion, the best way to manage patients with medical comorbidities and epilepsy is to accurately recognize and diagnose medical comorbidities, and to have adequate knowledge and familiarity with antiepileptic drug (AED) metabolism, dosing, side effects, and drug interactions. We believe the trend should move toward using the newer generation of AEDs given their generally reduced rate of adverse effects and interactions. The primary goal of therapy is seizure freedom without side effects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Iowa, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA, nivedita-jerath@uiowa.edu.
authors.forename: Nivedita U
authors.initials: NU
authors.lastname: Jerath
authors.forename: Dronacharya
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lamichhane
authors.forename: Madhu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jasti
authors.forename: Vinusha
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Yarlagadda
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zilli
authors.forename: Yara
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nazzal
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Granner