Gabapentin as adjunctive therapy for partial seizures

Abstract

The safety, tolerability, and efficacy of gabapentin as adjunctive therapy were assessed in epileptic patients who had experienced up to four complex partial seizures per month while receiving phenytoin and/or carbamazepine. This was a multicenter, open-label prospective study, with the treatment period lasting 20 weeks. The gabapentin dosage was titrated to effective tolerated dose up to 2400 mg/day. Quality of life was evaluated with the QOLIE-10 questionnaire. A total of 141 patients were enrolled; 114 patients were evaluated for efficacy analysis. The mean maintenance dose of gabapentin was 1600 mg/day. Seventy-one percent of patients (81 patients) experienced a 50% or greater reduction in seizure frequency and 46% (52 patients) became seizure free. The most frequent adverse effects included drowsiness (16%), dizziness (9%), and asthenia (6%). Sixteen patients (11%) discontinued the study prematurely because of adverse events. A significant improvement was observed in five of the 10 questions of the QOLIE-10.