Factors in Variability of Serial Gabapentin Concentrations in Elderly Patients with Epilepsy.

Objectives: To characterize and quantify the variability of serial gabapentin concentrations in elderly patients with epilepsy.

Methods: This study included 83 patients (age ≥ 60 yrs) from an 18-center randomized double-blind double-dummy parallel study from the Veterans Affairs Cooperative 428 Study. All patients were taking 1500 mg/day gabapentin.

Population pharmacokinetics of carbamazepine in elderly patients.

Background: Carbamazepine is a commonly used antiepileptic drug in elderly patients. This study analyzed prospective data collected as part of a randomized, double-blinded trial of newly diagnosed epilepsy patients. The aims of this study were to determine the pharmacokinetic parameters and their variability of carbamazepine in elderly patients and to quantify the effect of covariates on these parameters.

Population pharmacokinetics of lamotrigine in elderly patients.

Lamotrigine is being used more frequently in elderly patients. Dosing of lamotrigine in elderly patients is based largely on studies from younger adults and not evidence-based data from elderly patients. The goal of this study is to determine the pharmacokinetic parameters, such as clearance, and the factors that have a significant effect on these parameters to provide evidence-based information that can be used to dose elderly patients taking lamotrigine.

Recruitment and retention in clinical trials of the elderly.

The recruitment and retention of elderly patients in clinical trials provide many challenges. Factors affecting recruitment, retention, and cost of recruitment are discussed in this chapter. Various methods are described that were used in recruiting and retaining elderly patients in a Veterans Affairs (VA) Administration clinical trial that compared two newer antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), gabapentin and lamotrigine, to the established standard AED, carbamazepine.

Diagnosing epilepsy in the elderly.

Elderly individuals represent the fastest-growing segment of the US population. Seizures are common among elderly persons, and the etiology, clinical presentation, and prognosis of seizure disorders can often differ between elderly patients and younger individuals. However, published information regarding the diagnosis and management of epilepsy in elderly patients is scarce.