The last ten years of the 20th century is called in neuroscience “decade of the brain”. This period has brought many new antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) to the practising physician. New AEDs include: vigabatrin, lamotrigine, topiramate, tiagabine, gabapentin, oxcarbazepine, levetiracetam and zonisamide (not registered in Poland). The development of these drugs was under the current epilepsy theory (...

Background: Adolescents diagnosed with epilepsy are patients who need specific care, especially girls of childbearing age. Considering that two the main antiepileptic medications can have teratogenic effects, it is extremely important these receive adequate guidance in their process maturation and introduction to adulthood, without prejudice seizure control.

INTRODUCTION The Adverse Event Scale in Patients With Epilepsy (aESCAPE) European study (NCT00394927) explored and analyzed adverse events (AEs) and reasons for modifying treatment in patients treated with newer and older antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) used in monotherapy or polytherapy. The present analysis concerns the results of patients recruited in Poland. MATERIAL AND METHODS Multicentre, i...

Some antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) have been reported to aggravate generalized seizures. We have seen three children whose myoclonic seizures increased on starting treatment with Levetiracetam. In all seizures aggravation was temporally associated to the introduction of the drug. All became seizure-free on withdrawal of levetiracetam with a switch to an alternative antiepileptic drug and this pers...

In three focus group discussions, 18 women with epilepsy were asked about their experiences of and satisfaction with care and treatment at both primary and secondary care, and for views on how epilepsy services might be improved. A fourth focus group was held with six epilepsy nurse specialists to seek their opinions on the service needs of women with epilepsy. Criticisms of services identified...