title: Three-Year Retention Rates of Levetiracetam, Topiramate, and Oxcarbazepine: A Retrospective Hospital-Based Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We evaluated and compared the 3-year retention rates of levetiracetam (LEV), topiramate (TPM), and oxcarbazepine (OXC) in patients with epilepsy in routine clinical practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively reviewed medical records of patients with epilepsy who were newly prescribed LEV, TPM, or OXC from 2006 to 2010. The retention rates were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier analysis, and independent risk factors for drug discontinuation were analyzed by the Cox regression method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 588 patients were included: LEV (n = 345), TPM (n = 190), and OXC (n = 53). Among them, 82% had focal epilepsy, whereas 14.8% had generalized epilepsy. The 3-year retention rates for LEV, TPM, and OXC, were 81.2%, 78.3%, and 54.7%, respectively. Levetiracetam and TPM had equivalent retention rates, whereas patients remained on OXC for a significantly shorter amount of time (P < 0.001). A lower retention rate for OXC was also evident in the subgroup analysis of focal epilepsy (P < 0.001). In generalized epilepsy, LEV and TPM revealed comparable retention rates (P = 0.255). The seizure-freedom rate did not differ among groups, whereas the rate of adverse effects leading to drug withdrawal of OXC (87.5%) was higher than that of LEV (34.4%, P < 0.001) and TPM (52.5%, P = 0.012).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The current study suggested that LEV and TPM had comparable retention profiles in the long-term treatment for both focal and generalized epilepsy. Meanwhile, OXC therapy seemed to be relatively less useful because of its poor tolerability.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Neurology, Soonchunhyang University School of Medicine; †Department of Neurology, Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, Seoul National University Hospital; ‡Department of Neurology, Konkuk University School of Medicine; and §Department of Neurology, Seoul National University Hospital Healthcare System Gangnam Center, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Jun-Sang
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Sunwoo
authors.forename: Byeong-Su
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Seon Jae
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.forename: Sungeun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Chan-Young
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Jin-Sun
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Jun
authors.forename: Dong Wook
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Soon-Tae
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Keun-Hwa
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Kyung-Il
authors.initials: KI
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Kon
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Ki-Young
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Sang Kun
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002220:Carbamazepine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D005632:Fructose / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D000077287:Levetiracetam; D008297:Male; D000078330:Oxcarbazepine; D010889:Piracetam / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D000077236:Topiramate; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D000077236:Topiramate; D005632:Fructose; D002220:Carbamazepine; D000077287:Levetiracetam; D000078330:Oxcarbazepine; D010889:Piracetam