Unnecessary polypharmacy for epilepsy

Abstract

A retrospective survey of 50 adult epileptic outpatients who were taking two anticonvulsant drugs showed that seizure control had improved in the six months after the introduction of the second drug in only 36%. When blood concentrations of the two anticonvulsants were subsequently measured improvement in seizure control was found to be significantly related to the presence of optimum blood concentrations of at least one drug. Much unnecessary polypharmacy in the treatment of epilepsy could be avoided by ensuring an optimum blood concentration of one drug before considering the addition of a second. © 1977, British Medical Journal Publishing Group. All rights reserved.