Pharmacokinetic Considerations with the Use of Antiepileptic Drugs in Patients with HIV and Organ Transplants.

Purpose Of Review: Antiepileptic drugs are frequently administered to patients with HIV infection or in recipients of organ transplants. The potentially serious drug-drug interactions between the "classic" antiepileptic drugs, antiretrovirals, and immunosuppressants have been extensively studied. Evidence-based information on the second and third generation of antiepileptic drugs is almost non-existent.

A Pediatric Patient with Refractory Seizures and a Mesial Temporal Lobe Lesion.

A 12-year-old adolescent presented with refractory seizures and was found to have a mesial temporal lobe lesion. The patient underwent biopsy and was diagnosed with an arteriovenous malformation. Supratentorial lesions in the pediatric population can have a large variety of underlying etiologies, which can be challenging to differentiate on neuroimaging.

Use of antiepileptic drugs in hepatic and renal disease.

The use of antiepileptic drugs in patients with renal or hepatic disease is common in clinical practice. Since the liver and kidney are the main organs involved in the elimination of most drugs, their dysfunction can have important effects on the disposition of antiepileptic drugs. Renal or hepatic disease can prolong the elimination of the parent drug or an active metabolite leading to accumulation and clinical toxicity.

Epilepsy: new drug targets and neurostimulation.

Despite advances in the medical and surgical therapy for epilepsy, about 30% of patients do not achieve full seizure control. In the past 5 years new antiepileptic drugs have been approved for clinical use. Some of these drugs have unique, novel mechanisms of action.

Ictal central apnea as a predictor for sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.

Epidemiological evidence associating ictal hypoventilation during focal seizures with a heightened risk for subsequent sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is lacking. We describe a patient with temporal lobe epilepsy with two focal seizures recorded in the epilepsy monitoring unit that were associated with central apnea lasting 57 and 58 seconds. During these events, she demonstrated oxygen desaturation down to 68 and 62%.

A review of eslicarbazepine acetate for the adjunctive treatment of partial-onset epilepsy.

Eslicarbazepine acetate (ESL) is a novel antiepileptic drug indicated for the treatment of partial-onset seizures. Structurally, it belongs to the dibenzazepine family and is closely related to carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine. Its main mechanism of action is by blocking the voltage-gated sodium channel.

The selection of antiepileptic drugs for the treatment of epilepsy in children and adults.

In the past 2 decades, 12 new antiepileptic drugs (AED) have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of epilepsy, making the selection process more complex. When choosing an AED several factors are considered including its relative efficacy, tolerability, serious toxicity, ease of use (determined by the pharmacokinetic profile and the drug-drug interaction potential), the presence of comorbid conditions, and cost. Age and gender are also important considerations.

Neuro-ophthalmologic manifestations of epilepsy.

This review summarizes the major neuro-ophthalmologic manifestations of epilepsy. Positive or negative visual manifestations such as hallucinations or visual loss may be seen. There is considerable overlap of the visual manifestations with migrainous aura and transient ischemic attack (TIA), making a detailed history important for accurate diagnosis.

Reversible hemiparesis associated with the use of topiramate.

We report a case of a 5-year-old boy with intractable partial seizures who developed a transient hemiparesis, worsening of the electroencephalogram (EEG) and a change in his seizure pattern with increased seizure frequency after receiving topiramate (TPM). Symptoms resolved within a month after TPM was discontinued. Clinicians need to be aware that TPM use may occasionally be associated with focal motor weakness and exacerbation of seizures.

Some common issues in the use of antiepileptic drugs.

Since 1993, eight new antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) have become available in the United States for the treatment of epilepsy: felbamate, gabapentin, lamotrigine, topiramate, tiagabine, levetiracetam, oxcarbazepine, and zonisamide. Of the older AEDs, six continue to be widely used: phenobarbital, phenytoin, primidone, ethosuximide, carbamazepine, and valproate. As a result, there is a relatively large number of alternative AEDs for the treatment of any given type of epilepsy.