Epilepsy is more common in children than in any other age group apart from the geriatric population. Indeed epileptic seizures are more likely to occur on the first day of life than at any other time. The impact of epilepsy on every aspect of both the lives of the child and family is significant. Issues such as mental retardation, subtle neuropsychologic disturbances, cognitive problems, behavioral problems and learning difficulties are major factors affecting the children with epilepsy. The rate of new-onset seizures and epilepsy thereafter falls steeply but remains high throughout infancy, dropping further during childhood and into adolescence. Drug treatment forms one of the most important forms of therapy for a vast majority of epilepsy patients. The majority of patients can achieve complete seizure control by taking antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). AEDs can effectively control seizures in 70-80% of children with epilepsy. Antiepileptic drugs can be effective, but like all drugs acting on the CNS, cause side effects. AEDs do not 'cure' epilepsy; there is no evidence that they can influence the prognosis of the epilepsy. The decision to prescribe AEDs should be shared with the patient, who should be provided with information about the drug (including indications, side effects and licence status) and information about the condition including risks of not taking medication.