Epilepsy - Medications

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Toxic Side Effects.

• Valproate poses a higher risk for serious birth defects than many other AEDs. These birth defects include skull and limb deformities, and brain, heart, and lung problems. Experts recommend that women of child-bearing age use a different type of anti-epilepsy drug than valproate. If valproate is used, it should be prescribed at the lowest possible dose.
• Cases of pancreatitis, a serious and even life-threatening inflammation in the pancreas, have been reported in children and adults taking valproate. (It is still very rare, however.)
• Valproate and divalproex sodium are not usually recommended for young children because of an unusual, but potentially fatal, toxic effect on the liver. This very rare effect is most likely to affect children under 2 years of age who have birth defects and are taking more than one antiseizure drug. Some doctors recommend monitoring of blood levels for liver function once before administering valproate or divalproex sodium, monthly during the first 6 months, and then periodically after that.
• Children with epilepsy who take valproic acid may eventually develop some problems in the kidney, although, according to a 2001 study, they are generally not significant.

Symptoms of Toxic Side Effects in Liver or Pancreas.

• Abdominal pain
• Nausea or vomiting
• Loss of appetite
• Lethargy
• Acute confusion
• Water retention
• Easy bruising
• Yellowish skin coloring

Carbamazepine

Carbamazepine (Tegretol, Carbatrol) is an effective anticonvulsant and specific analgesic when used alone or with other drugs. Carbamazepine also has the added benefit of relieving depression and improving alertness. An extended release form is available that allows twice-daily dosing rather than 3 times a day. It is the standard treatment for partial epilepsies in children, and a chewable form makes it easier for them to take it.

This drug is used to prevent the following seizures or epilepsy syndromes:

• Patients with partial seizures tend to tolerate this drug better than others, although responses differ among individuals.
• Grand mal seizures
• Combinations of grand mal and partial seizures
• Autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy (an inherited disorder)