In epileptic patients carbamazepine and diphenylhydantoin have opposite effects on whole and free plasma tryptophan concentrations, the former elevating and the latter depressing them. It is unlikely that these observations relate to the similar anti-epileptic properties of these two drugs but they may relate to their different effects on mental function and mood.

Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis are two rare but life-threatening diseases characterized by detachment of epidermis, bullous skin lesions and mucous membrane erosions. Anti-epileptic drugs are highly suspected to be the causative agents. Although carbamazepine (CBZ) is the most associated anti-epileptic drug, oxcarbazepine (OXC), which is a monohydrated derivative ...

In ~30% of epileptic patients, full seizure control is not possible, which is why the search for novel antiepileptic drugs continues. Retigabine exhibits a mechanism of action that is not shared by the available antiepileptic drugs. This antiepileptic enhances potassium currents via Kv7.2-7.3 channels, which very likely results from destabilization of a closed conformation or stabilization of t...

It has been hypothesized that tinnitus is a form of sensory epilepsy, arising partly from neuronal hyperactivity in auditory regions of the brain such as the cochlear nucleus and inferior colliculus. Although there is currently no effective drug treatment for tinnitus, anti-epileptic drugs are used in some cases as a potential treatment option. There is increasing evidence to suggest that canna...

'Severe myoclonic epilepsy in infancy' or Dravet syndrome is a clear example of the impact of severe epilepsy on the developing child. Presenting with febrile seizures in infancy, children later on develop a severe epileptic syndrome with mental retardation. Nearly all children have life-threatening status epilepticus during the first two years of life. The clinical diagnosis can now be confirm...