Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are the first line of therapy used by doctors to treat epilepsy. Although AEDs do not cure epilepsy, they do, in many cases, help to keep the seizures controlled, thus enabling the patient to have a better quality of life.
Medications
Although AEDs do not cure epilepsy, they do, in many cases, help to keep the seizures controlled, thus enabling the patient to have a better quality of life...(more)
Drug Details
Carbamazepine (Tegretol, Tegretol XR and Carbatrol)
Clobazam (Frisium)
Clonazepam (Klonopin)
Clorazepate (Tranxene)
Diazepam (Valium, Diastat)
Ethosuximide (Zarontin)
Felbamate (Felbatol)
Gabapentin (Neurontin)
Lamotrigine (Lamictal)
Levetiracetam (Keppra)
Methsuximide (Celontin)
Oxcarbamazepine (Trileptal)
Phenobarbital (Luminal)
Phenytoin (Phenytek, Dilantin)
Primidone (Mysoline)
Pregabalin (Lyrica)
Tiagabine (Gabitril)
Topiramate (Topamax)
Valproate/Valproic acid (Depakene and Depakote)
Vigabatrin (Sabril)
Zonisamide (Zonegran)
Epilepsy Surgery
When seizures cannot be controlled by medications or control can be achieved only at the cost of severe and unacceptable adverse effects, surgery is an alternative...(more)
VNS
Vagus Nerve Stimulation is a non-drug treatment for epilepsy that utilizes the vagus nerve to send signals to the brain...(more)
Alternative Therapies
People with epilepsy whose seizures are not fully controlled by antiepileptic drugs or who experience troublesome adverse effects may consider looking into the emerging field of complementary and alternative therapies (CAM)...(more)
Diet
Research in the 1920s showed that a diet consisting mostly of fats dramatically reduced the frequency of seizures in many children...(more)
Clinical Drug Trials
The NYU Comprehensive Epilepsy Center has been involved in multiple clinical trials that are now approved and marketed in the USA for the treatment and improved quality of life in patients diagnosed with epilepsy....(more)
