Primidone intoxication in a child.

Primidone has been a valuable drug in the treatment of epilepsy since the early 1950's. It is akin to phenobarbitone (see Fig.) in which the carbon atom at the 'two' position in the pyrimidine ring has two hydrogens instead of a carbonyl oxygen. Bogue and Carrington developed the drug in 1949, and reported on its effectiveness in experimental animals (Bogue and Carrington, 1953). Clinical trials were conducted in England from 1950 to 1952, and were reported by Handley and Stewart (1952). Primidone was found to be safe and effective in the treatment of recurrent grand mal seizures, and later by Whitty (1953) and many others in the treatment of focal motor and psychomotor epilepsy.