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Newer anti-epileptic drugs

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Abstract

Need and Purpose of review

A number of newer anti-epileptic drugs have been developed in the last few years to improve the treatment outcomes in epilepsy. In this review, we discuss the use of newer anti-epileptic drugs in children.

Methods used for locating, selecting, extracting and synthesizing data

MEDLINE search (1966–2013) was performed using terms “newer anti-epileptic drugs”, “Oxcarbazepine”, vigabatrin”, topiramate”, “zonisamide”, “levetiracetam”, “lacosamide”, “rufinamide”, “stiripentol”, “retigabine”, “eslicarbazepine”, “brivaracetam”, “ganaxolone” and “perampanel” for reports on use in children. Review articles, practice parameters, guidelines, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, cohort studies, and case series were included. The main data extracted included indications, efficacy and adverse effects in children.

Main conclusions

Oxcarbazepine is established as effective initial monotherapy for children with partial-onset seizures. Vigabatrin is the drug of choice for infantile spasms associated with tuberous sclerosis. Lamotrigine, levetiracetam and lacosamide are good add-on drugs for patients with partial seizures. Lamotrigine may be considered as monotherapy in adolescent females with idiopathic generalized epilepsy. Levetiracetam is a good option as monotherapy for females with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy. Topiramate is a good add-on drug in patients with epileptic encephalopathies such as Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and myoclonic astatic epilepsy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Lady Hardinge Medical College and associated Kalawati Saran Children’s Hospital, New Delhi, India

    Satinder Aneja & Suvasini Sharma

  2. Lady Hardinge Medical College and associated Kalawati Saran Children’s Hospital, New Delhi, India

    Satinder Aneja

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  1. Satinder Aneja
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  2. Suvasini Sharma
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Correspondence to Satinder Aneja.

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Aneja, S., Sharma, S. Newer anti-epileptic drugs. Indian Pediatr 50, 1033–1040 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13312-013-0284-9

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