Association between antiepileptic drug dose and long-term response in patients with refractory epilepsy.

Seizures in patients with medically refractory epilepsy remain a substantial clinical challenge, not least because of the dearth of evidence-based guidelines as to which antiepileptic drug (AED) regimens are the most effective, and what doses of these drugs to employ. We sought to determine whether there were regions in the dosage range of commonly used AEDs that were associated with superior efficacy in patients with refractory epilepsy. We retrospectively analyzed treatment records from 164 institutionalized, developmentally disabled patients with refractory epilepsy, averaging 17years of followup per patient.