Medication Choices for Paediatric Epilepsy

Abstract

The World Health Organization estimates that 50 million people suffer from epilepsy with 50% of them being children and adolescents. It is well known how epilepsy can adversely affect the development and quality of life of children, but those affected also have a higher mortality risk, ranging up to 9 times that of the general population. These factors lead to an urgent need to understand the various forms of pharmacological treatment and the possible adverse effects that may present as a result of prescribed medications. Each case will be different and requires a personalized plan of treatment. As the number of antiepileptic drugs has swelled over the last two decades, treatment options have likewise grown. It is therefore timely to summarize the traditional epilepsy medications used and to review some of the more recent antiepileptic drugs now at the disposal of the paediatric neurologist with an emphasis on their efficacy and safety.