Gabapentin and Pregabalin Michael J. McLean Barry E. Gidal Gabapentin (1-[aminomethyl]cyclohexaneacetic acid), or (3-cyclohexyl γ-aminobutyric acid [GABA]; see Fig. 59.1) resulted from bonding cyclohexane to the 3-position of the GABA…
Benzodiazepines L. John Greenfield Jr. Howard C. Rosenberg Richard W. Homan Benzodiazepines were developed in 1933 from a class of heterocyclic compounds known since 1891 (1). Clinical interest initially focused…
Ethosuximide Tracy A. Glauser Diego A. Morita HISTORICAL BACKGROUND The development of ethosuximide was a response to the need in the 1950s to develop a more effective, safer, and better…
Phenobarbital and Primidone Blaise F. D. Bourgeois HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Although its use has been decreasing, phenobarbital is still a major antiepileptic drug (AED). Phenobarbital (PB) has been prescribed for the…
Phenytoin and Fosphenytoin Diego A. Morita Tracy A. Glauser HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Phenytoin From the second half of the 19th century until 1938, the antiepileptic effect of commonly used medications (sodium…
Carbamazepine and Oxcarbazepine Carlos A. M. Guerreiro Marilisa M. Guerreiro Carbamazepine (CBZ) is one of the most often prescribed drugs worldwide for the treatment of neurologic disorders. It has been…
Pharmacogenetics of Antiepileptic Medications Tracy A. Glauser Diego A. Morita Marked interindividual variation in efficacy and adverse effects, a characteristic of antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy, represents the result of a…
Monitoring for Adverse Effects of Antiepileptic Drugs L. James Willmore Andrew Pickens IV John M. Pellock Treatment of patients with epilepsy aims for complete seizure control without intolerable drug side…
Treatment of Epilepsy in the Setting of Renal and Liver Disease Jane G. Boggs Elizabeth Waterhouse Robert J. DeLorenzo Management of seizures in the presence of renal and liver disease…
