A Review on Antiepileptic Agents, Current Research and Future Prospectus on Conventional and Traditional Drugs

Epilepsy is a condition in which a person has recurrent seizures. The mainstay of treatment for epilepsy remains symptomatic despite the rapid expansion in knowledge of its neurological disabilities. Therapeutic options, both medical , surgical and non medical have been markedly improved over the past decades, resulting in better condition, activities of daily living, and quality of life for epileptic patients. The principle of seizure (Epilepsy) management should be individualized and the selection of treatments should aim to control symptoms as well as to prevent other complications. Various pharmacologic and surgical options are available, including different formulations. There are number of drugs available for treatment of epilepsy in modern therapy. But the major disadvantages being faced are their chronic side effects. Herbal drugs are acting at target side having same mechanism of action as that of synthetic drugs. With the introduction of allopathic drugs, the use of crude drugs from medicinal plants is on the decline and subsequently this traditional knowledge may be lost in the near future. Novel antiepileptic drugs are better tolerated by epileptic patients and practically are devoid of important pharmacokinetic drug interactions.