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Choosing the right drug 2. Anticonvulsants used for second‐ line therapy, other anticonvulsants and alternative therapies
Author(s) -
Rusbridge Clare
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
in practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.211
H-Index - 25
eISSN - 2042-7689
pISSN - 0263-841X
DOI - 10.1136/inp.f2015
Subject(s) - anticonvulsant , medicine , phenobarbital , drug , anticonvulsant drugs , carbamazepine , first line , intensive care medicine , adverse effect , epilepsy , pharmacology , psychiatry
Many epileptic patients will have satisfactory seizure control using the first‐line anticonvulsants phenobarbital and/or bromide, as discussed in the first article of this series ( In Practice , March 2013, vol 35, pp 106‐113). However, some patients will continue to have an unacceptable number or severity of seizures despite adequate drug serum concentrations. Some patients have a compromised quality of life because of the adverse effects of their medication. In this article, the anticonvulsant drugs used for second‐line therapy are discussed, together with other anticonvulsants and alternative therapies.