Increase of classical antiepileptic drug utilization in Croatia during the process of introducing the new generation of drugs.

During the last decade the process of introducing the new generation of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) has substantially changed the ways of treating epilepsy. Although a great deal of information about the role of new drugs has been accumulated, much less attention was paid to the impact of the new generation of AEDs on the utilization of classical AEDs. In order to detect the relation between the new and classical AEDs, the data about drug consumption in Croatia in the period 2000-2002 were analyzed. The main results indicated that the growth utilization rate (15%) was more the result of increasing consumption of the classical antiepileptic substances (in almost 2/3). It has been discussed that one of the possible interpretations for this phenomenon could lie in the fact that the continuing process of introducing the new AEDs was accompanied by a great number of educational activities. These activities have led to greater awareness of the facilities in treating epilepsy and consequently to a more active therapeutic approach, which encompassed both generations of drugs, even more the older one.