Epilepsy Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Epilepsy, including details on symptoms, causes, treatment, drugs, information.

Tiagabine as add-on therapy may be more effective with valproic acid--open label, multicentre study of patients with focal epilepsy.

Jedrzejczak J

Department of Neurology and Epileptology, Medical Centre for Postgraduate Education, Warsaw, Poland. joannajedrzejczak@neuronet.pl

The aim of the current study was to review the efficacy of tiagabine (TGB) as add-on therapy in patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy under normal daily clinical practice, and try to identify those who had improvement. This was an open multicentre study conducted in Poland. A group of 330 patients were analysed. Patients received TGB up to 30-50 mg/day with adjustment within the therapeutic range and titration period. For statistical evaluation chi-square test and logistic analysis were used. At the 16-week follow-up visit, 71.4% patients were reported as responders, i.e. had a 50% or greater decrease in seizure frequency compared with baseline (P<0.001). One-third of patients were seizure-free at 16-week evaluation (P<0.001). The beneficial effect of TGB on seizure reduction was most marked in patients with partial seizures (P<0.001). Patients who used valproic acid (mean dose 1307 mg/day) had 61-85% higher chances for disappearance of seizures or reduction of their number by 50% or more. Patients who used carbamazepine (mean dose 800 mg/day) at a dose 1000 mg or higher mg/day had twice lower chance for reduction of seizures by 50% or more (OR=0.45; 95 CI 0.25-0.82). There was no statistical impact of sex, age and aetiology on probability of therapeutic effect.

Published 7 February 2005 in Eur J Neurol, 12(3): 176-80.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Epilepsy Research Today. All Rights Reserved.