Source: Seizure  |  Posted 9 years ago

About one-third of patients with refractory epilepsy will benefit over the long-term from add on therapy with lamotrigine or topiramate, according to the results of a five-year study.

Stefan Kaiser and colleagues from the Raymond Way Neuropsychiatry Research Unit, Institute of Neurology, London, England conducted a prospective, long-term study of lamotrigine or topiramate as an add-on treatment in patients with refractory epilepsy.

In this study, twenty patients with refractory epilepsy took lamotrigine and another 35 took topiramate in addition to whatever anticonvulsant medication they were already taking. After five years, seven of the 20 patients who started taking lamotrigine were still on the drug, and 13 of the 35 patients initially given topiramate were still taking it.

Patients who remained on the study drugs experienced improvements in their seizure rates. Five of the seven patients taking lamotrigine and four of the 13 patients on topiramate were seizure free. Quality of life measurements revealed that patients taking the study drugs also benefited with respect to this parameter.

According to the authors, approximately one-third of patients who are given lamotrigine or topiramate as add on therapies for refractory epilepsy will stay on the drug long-term. These patients will likely benefit from these therapies, both in terms of seizure control and quality of life.