fluvoxamine and Epilepsy--Absence

Psychoemotional status and blood serotonin level were investigated in 69 patients with different forms of idiopathic epilepsy during the seizures and interictal period. Twenty-two patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, 22 patients with absence forms and 22 patients with generalized convulsive seizures, aged 10-47 years, were included in the study. We found the significant decrease in blood serotonin levels during the interictal period, with the lower levels seen after generalized convulsive and myoclonic seizures. After the treatment with antidepressant fluvoxamine as add-on treatment, 16 patients revealed improved psychoemotional well-being and quality of life as well as a decreased number of generalized convulsive seizures along with the increasing of blood serotonin level.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Anticonvulsants; Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation; Child; Drug Therapy, Combination; Emotions; Epilepsies, Myoclonic; Epilepsy, Absence; Epilepsy, Generalized; Epilepsy, Tonic-Clonic; Female; Fluvoxamine; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Serotonin; Synaptic Transmission; Young Adult