Phenytoin, Fosphenytoin, and Other Hydantoins John M. Stern Emilio Perucca Thomas R. Browne Introduction The hydantoins are derivatives of a common five-membered heterocyclic ring that differ according to their unique…
Phenobarbital and Other Barbiturates Mervyn J. Eadie Patrick Kwan Introduction The antiepileptic effect of phenobarbital (phenobarbitone) was described by Alfred Hauptmann as long ago as 1912,29 a little more than…
Oxcarbazepine Ahmad Beydoun Wassim M. Nasreddine Fiorenzo Albani Introduction Although oxcarbazepine (OXC) has been available for many years in Europe, it was only approved by the Food and Drug Administration…
Levetiracetam Michael D. Privitera Jennifer Cavitt Introduction Levetiracetam, an antiepileptic drug (AED) with an interesting development history, has become widely used in the treatment of several types of epilepsy. Initial…
Lamotrigine Torbjörn Tomson Linda J. Stephen Martin J. Brodie Introduction Lamotrigine, a phenyltriazine derivative, has been available globally as an antiepileptic drug (AED) for more than 15 years. The drug…
Gabapentin David W. Chadwick Thomas R. Browne Introduction Gabapentin is a novel antiepileptic drug (AED) related in structure to the neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) (Fig. 1). It was synthesized as…
Ethosuximide Edward B. Bromfield Introduction Among several succinimides synthesized as modifications of the hydantoin-barbiturate heterocyclic ring, only one, ethosuximide, is still in widespread use; another, methsuximide, has a broader spectrum…
Carbamazepine Evan J. Fertig Richard H. Mattson Introduction Carbamazepine (5H-dibenz[b,f]azepin-5-carboxamide) is one of the most widely prescribed antiepileptic drugs for the treatment of partial and generalized tonic–clonic seizures in the…
Benzodiazepines Dieter Schmidt Alan J. Wilensky Introduction The benzodiazepines represent a clinically relevant class of compounds that possess a broad range of properties, including anticonvulsant efficacy. In 1965, diazepam was…
