Neuropsychological effects in children exposed to anticonvulsant monotherapy during gestation: Phenobarbital, carbamazepine, and phenytoin.

Objective: Usage during pregnancy of the antiseizure medication (ASM), phenobarbital (PB), carbamazepine (CBZ), and phenytoin (PHT), has been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes. While morphological effects on offspring are well-documented, inconsistent findings have been reported on neuropsychological development, possibly due to differences in attention to maternal demographics, and other design characteristics. Herein, we report the results of a carefully designed protocol used to examine the effects of gestational monotherapy with PB, CBZ, or PHT upon children's general mental abilities, when compared to age- and gender- matched children born to unexposed women of similar age, education, and socioeconomic status.

Long-term efficacy and safety of monotherapy and adjunctive therapy with zonisamide.

The long-term effects of zonisamide as monotherapy or adjunctive therapy were investigated in patients with seizure disorders. One hundred twelve adult neurology patients treated with zonisamide were retrospectively identified through a chart review; 90 patients (n=45 monotherapy, n=45 adjunctive therapy) who received zonisamide for 3 months were included in the efficacy-evaluable population, and all 112 patients were included in the safety population. The average duration of treatment was 24.