Epilepsy research
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Dose-response effect of levetiracetam 1000 and 2000 mg/day in partial epilepsy.
To evaluate the efficacy, dose-response, tolerability, and withdrawal effects of levetiracetam (Keppra) as adjunctive therapy in adult patients with partial epilepsy. ⋯ Levetiracetam was effective and well-tolerated and decreased seizure frequency in a dose-dependent manner, with no evidence of typical withdrawal-related adverse events or rebound phenomena after withdrawal or down-titration.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Efficacy and tolerability of 1000-4000 mg per day of levetiracetam as add-on therapy in patients with refractory epilepsy.
The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy and tolerability of 1000-4000 mg/day of levetiracetam (LEV, Keppra) as add-on treatment for refractory epilepsy. This was a dose-escalation study of 29 patients with refractory epilepsy. Patients received placebo for 4 weeks (baseline) followed by levetiracetam 1000 and 2000 mg per day each for 2 weeks, and then 3000 and 4000 mg per day each for 4 weeks. ⋯ The most common adverse events were somnolence and asthenia; frequency and severity increased with increasing doses of levetiracetam. Levetiracetam in doses from 1000 to 4000 mg per day is effective. Somnolence and asthenia were more frequent with the highest dose, suggesting that 4000 mg per day may be the upper limit in some patients, although individual susceptibility to somnolence was variable.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Delineation of cryptogenic Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and myoclonic astatic epilepsy using multiple correspondence analysis.
To distinguish various types of childhood severe cryptogenic/idiopathic generalised epilepsy on the basis of reproducible diagnostic criteria, using multiple correspondence analysis (MCA). ⋯ It is possible to validate statistically the distinction between discrete epileptic syndromes. Myoclonic astatic epilepsy is therefore distinct from Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, and the distinction appears from the first year of the disorder.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of tiagabine given three-times daily as add-on therapy for refractory partial seizures. Northern European Tiagabine Study Group.
In a multicentre, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled trial, a three-times daily regimen of tiagabine was evaluated as add-on therapy in 154 adult patients with refractory partial seizures. A total of 77 patients were randomised to treatment in each arm. Tiagabine HCl was titrated from an initial dose of 12-30 mg/day over 4 weeks. ⋯ Adverse event incidence was similar between tiagabine and placebo groups, except for dizziness which was more common with tiagabine (29 versus 10%, P < 0.01). Tiagabine had no significant effects on laboratory tests or vital signs. The present study shows that tiagabine, at a dose of 10 mg administered three-times daily, which is at the lower end of the usual recommended dose range (30-50 mg/day, tiagabine base), is generally well tolerated and demonstrates efficacy for the treatment of refractory partial seizures.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
The long-term safety and efficacy of gabapentin (Neurontin) as add-on therapy in drug-resistant partial epilepsy. The US Gabapentin Study Group.
This is the 2-year interim report of results from a multicenter, open-label study evaluating the long-term efficacy and safety of gabapentin (Neurontin) as add-on therapy in patients with refractory partial seizures who had had a therapeutic response to gabapentin in a preceding 12-week double-blind trial or 12-week open-label extension. A total of 240 patients continued to receive gabapentin as add-on therapy at dosages of 600-2400 mg/day for an average of 342 days (range 10-784 days). Efficacy analyses compared seizure frequency during consecutive 12-week treatment periods with seizure frequency during the 12-week baseline. ⋯ No consistent changes in clinical laboratory values were associated with gabapentin. Gabapentin as add-on therapy at dosages up to 2400 mg/day is safe during long-term treatment in patients with refractory partial seizures. Subgroup analyses of patients who remained in the study over the long term confirmed that gabapentin maintained efficacy for up to 2 years.