topiramate and Lethargy

Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis (MTLE-HS) is a common epilepsy syndrome that is often poorly controlled by antiepileptic drug (AED) treatment. Comparative AED effectiveness studies in this condition are lacking. We report retention, efficacy, and tolerability in a cohort of patients with MTLE-HS.. Clinical data were collected from a European database of patients with epilepsy. We estimated retention, 12-month seizure freedom, and adverse drug reaction (ADR) rates for the 10 most commonly used AEDs in patients with MTLE-HS.. Seven hundred sixty-seven patients with a total of 3,249 AED trials were included. The highest 12-month retention rates were observed with carbamazepine (85.9%), valproate (85%), and clobazam (79%). Twelve-month seizure freedom rates varied from 1.2% for gabapentin and vigabatrin to 11% for carbamazepine. Response rates were highest for AEDs that were prescribed as initial treatment and lowest for AEDs that were used in a third or higher instance. ADRs were reported in 47.6% of patients, with the highest rates observed with oxcarbazepine (35.7%), topiramate (30.9%), and pregabalin (27.4%), and the lowest rates with clobazam (6.5%), gabapentin (8.9%), and lamotrigine (16.6%). The most commonly reported ADRs were lethargy and drowsiness, dizziness, vertigo and ataxia, and blurred vision and diplopia.. Our results did not demonstrate any clear advantage of newer versus older AEDs. Our results provide useful insights into AED retention, efficacy, and ADR rates in patients with MTLE-HS.

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Amines; Anticonvulsants; Ataxia; Benzodiazepines; Carbamazepine; Clobazam; Cyclohexanecarboxylic Acids; Databases, Factual; Diplopia; Dizziness; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe; Female; Fructose; Gabapentin; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; Hippocampus; Humans; Lamotrigine; Lethargy; Male; Middle Aged; Oxcarbazepine; Pregabalin; Retrospective Studies; Sclerosis; Topiramate; Treatment Outcome; Triazines; Valproic Acid; Vertigo; Vigabatrin; Vision Disorders; Young Adult

Historically, adrenocorticotropic hormone was used as a first-line treatment for infantile spasms; however, there has been increasing use of topiramate as initial therapy. Here, we report a retrospective study of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and topiramate as initial treatment for infantile spasms. The neurology patient database at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was searched using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision code for infantile spasms, and 50 patients were randomly chosen for chart review. We identified 31 patients receiving either adrenocorticotropic hormone or topiramate monotherapy (adrenocorticotropic hormone n = 12, topiramate n = 19) as a first-line treatment for infantile spasms. A total of 26 patients were symptomatic and 5 cryptogenic. Six patients treated with adrenocorticotropic hormone had resolution of clinical spasms and hypsarrhythmia within a month, but 3 relapsed. Of the 19 patients treated with topiramate, 4 patients eventually, though over a period of 0, 1, 8, or 69 months, had resolution of spasms and hypsarrhythmia.

Topics: Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; Age of Onset; Anorexia; Anticonvulsants; Brain; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Female; Fructose; Hormones; Humans; Infant; Lethargy; Male; Retrospective Studies; Selection Bias; Spasm; Spasms, Infantile; Topiramate; Treatment Outcome; Tremor