UNVEILING ADVERSE REACTIONS: A COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT OF ANTI-EPILEPTIC DRUGS

*Akshara K. R., Riya Varghese, Rex K. Roys and Dr. Elessy Abraham

ABSTRACT

Epilepsy, a neurological condition affecting quality of life, is frequently not treated adequately despite its common occurrence. Those with epilepsy often face daily challenges. Detecting and treating epilepsy early can enable individuals to live symptom-free lives. A major issue with epilepsy management is the difficulty in identifying cases promptly and providing appropriate treatment. Another significant obstacle is patients' non-compliance with treatment. They may stop taking medication due to increased adverse effects or lack of perceived benefits from anti-epileptic drugs. Treatment for epilepsy can involve either using a single medication (monotherapy) or multiple medications (polytherapy). Monotherapy has traditionally been the preferred approach. However, many patients experience adverse effects when the drug dosage is increased or as the disease progresses, leading them to discontinue treatment altogether. Polytherapy has been advocated as a solution for managing epilepsy. It involves using multiple medications at the lowest effective doses to achieve the desired therapeutic effect. Our study, based on 563 patients, found that approximately half of them experienced some form of adverse drug reaction (ADR). Among the 282 patients who developed ADRs, 62% were on monotherapy, while the remaining 38% were on polytherapy. This indicates that monotherapy is more effective than polytherapy in reducing the incidence of adverse drug reactions.

Keywords: Epilepsy, Seizure, Polytherapy, Monotherapy.