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Lamotrigine Linked To More Quality Of Life Improvements Than Valproate In Epilepsy Patients

Lamotrigine monotherapy for the treatment of epilepsy may result in better improvements in some areas of quality of life than valproate monotherapy, according to an industry study.

J. Chris Sackellares from the University of Florida, in Gainesville, and colleagues including investigators from GlaxoSmithKline, manufacturers of lamotrigine, compared the effects of lamotrigine monotherapy and valproate monotherapy on quality of life in patients with epilepsy.

As part of a double-blind trial, the patients were randomised to eight months of therapy with either lamotrigine or valproate alone. At the end of the eight months, significantly more patients taking lamotrigine experienced improvements in quality of life than those taking valproate, based on pre- and post-therapy scores on the Quality of Life in Epilepsy-89 (QOLIE-89) questionnaire (p<0.05).

Specifically, 42 percent of patients taking lamotrigine reported an improvement in the health perceptions subscale compared with 15 percent of those taking valproate. Also, 47 percent of lamotrigine patients versus 28 percent of valproate patients reported improvements in the energy/fatigue subscale, and 35 percent versus 16 percent reported improvements in the social isolation subscale, respectively.

In other words, patients taking lamotrigine were four times more likely to experience improvements in health perceptions, 2.3 times more likely to experience improvements in energy/fatigue, and 2.8 times more likely to experience improvement in social isolation than patients taking valproate (p<0.05), according to the researchers.

The improvements in quality of life seen in patients treated with lamotrigine paralleled improvements in mood that have been seen in patients taking this drug, as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory, Cornell Dysthymia Rating Scale and the Profile of Mood States, they write.

Based on these results, the authors conclude that lamotrigine monotherapy provides more benefits in terms of some aspects of quality of life, compared with valproate monotherapy, in patients with epilepsy. These improvements in quality of life may be mediated by improvements in mood, the writers conclude.
Epilepsy & Behavior Vol. 3, No. 4, August 1, 2002, pp. 376-382. "Lamotrigine monotherapy improves health-related quality of life in epilepsy: a double-blind comparison with valproate"

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