Epilepsy & behavior : E&B
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Epilepsy & behavior : E&B · Mar 2018
Patient versus neurologist preferences: A discrete choice experiment for antiepileptic drug therapies.
This assessment was conducted to quantify and compare patient and neurologist preferences regarding antiepileptic drug (AED) attributes for treating epilepsy. ⋯ Patients and neurologists had similar preference ranking order, with seizure reduction being ranked the most important attribute. However, neurologist treatment preferences were significantly more influenced by seizure reduction while patient preferences were significantly more influenced by adverse effects that may impact their quality of life. Understanding how patient and neurologist perspectives differ should encourage dialog to communicate the potential risks and benefits of AED therapy and assist in the shared decision-making process.
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Epilepsy & behavior : E&B · Mar 2018
Multicenter StudyEfficacy and tolerability of adjuvant lacosamide: The role of clinical characteristics and mechanisms of action of concomitant AEDs.
The objective of this study was to analyze the effectiveness and long-term tolerability of adjuvant lacosamide (LCM) in a multicenter cohort. We aim to assess outcomes of LCM-containing antiepileptic drug (AED) combinations based upon 'mechanism of action' (MoA) and patient's clinical features. ⋯ Adjuvant LCM is associated with seizure freedom rates of 9% at 12months after commencement and is predicted by lower prior seizure frequency, a period of 6months or longer of seizure freedom since diagnosis and fewer concomitant AEDs. While the broad MoA of concomitant AEDs did not influence efficacy or tolerability outcomes, we have provided a framework that may be utilized in future studies to help identify optimal synergistic AED combinations.