Comments for Consumers
This page/column contains information which may be of interest to consumers. The information is based on articles which appear in Australian Prescriber. As Australian Prescriber is written for health professionals, you should discuss any issues raised by this page/column with your doctor or pharmacist. They will be able to give a more detailed answer to your questions by reading the main article.
Australian Prescriber is unable to comment on individual cases or give second opinions.
Australian Prescriber Vol. 22 No. 3 1999
New antiepileptic drugs
Patients with epilepsy suffer from seizures i.e. fits. There are several types of seizure and different patients may need different treatments. Over the past few years, several new drugs for the treatment of epilepsy have been introduced. They are gabapentin, lamotrigine, tiagabine, topiramate and vigabatrin.
These new treatments are used when the seizures are not completely prevented by older medicines. While they are usually used as 'add-on' therapy, research is being done to see how well the new drugs work on their own.
