Epilepsy: Treating Epilepsy
How Is Epilepsy Treated?
The majority of epileptic seizures
are controlled through drug therapy, particularly anticonvulsant drugs. The type
of treatment prescribed will depend on several factors including the frequency
and severity of the seizures as well as the person's age, overall health and
medical history. An accurate diagnosis of the type of epilepsy (not just the type of seizure, since most seizure types occur in different types of epilepsy) is also critical to choosing the best treatment.
Drug Therapy
Many drugs are available to treat epilepsy, several of which have only recently been released.
Older, classic medications used to treat epilepsy include:
- Dilantin or Phenytek
- Phenobarbital
- Tegretol or Carbatrol
- Mysoline
- Zarontin
- Depakene
- Depakote, Depakote ER
- Valium and similar tranquilizers such as Tranxene and Klonopin
Newer drugs to treat epilepsy include:
- Felbatol
- Gabitril
- Keppra
- Lamictal
- Neurontin
- Topamax
- Trileptal
- Zonegran
Many other drugs are being studied, including Lyrica, which will likely be the next anti-epileptic drug released in the U.S.
In general, for a given type of epilepsy there are only minor differences among appropriate drugs. The choice is most often based on other factors specific to each patient, such as which side effects can be tolerated by the patient, other illnesses they may have, and which delivery method is acceptable.
Although the different types of epilepsy vary greatly, in general, medications can control seizures in about 70% of patients.
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