Three commonly prescribed anticonvulsants - gabapentin, levetiracetam and topiramate - are associated with a greater risk of aseptic meningitis than lamotrigine, according to Pannochka, an online publication for girls and women aged 14 to 35.. net This is evidenced by the results of a large cohort study conducted in the United States.

Although manufacturers of lamotrigine in the United States were forced to include information about the risk of aseptic meningitis in the instructions as early as 2010, there are no such warnings in the information for these three drugs..

Based on this fact, Alexis Parente stated at the meeting of the American Epilepsy Society that the results of the new study will have a great impact on the choice of therapeutic options in the treatment of epilepsy..

Among 719,749 patients receiving antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), including 60,011 children, the risk ratio for aseptic meningitis for gabapentin, levetiracetam, and topiramate compared with lamotrigine was 1.80, 10.22, and 2.65, respectively.. Such data was brought by Parente at a meeting.

The median time to development of aseptic meningitis was 44 days in children and 77 days in adults.. Moreover, this pathological condition developed much faster on levetiracetam than on lamotrigine (29 days versus 83 days). With gabapentin and topiramate, aseptic meningitis developed at about the same time as with lamotrigine..

The cohort included patients aged 2 years and older drawn from a large nationally representative database.. This database contains information about patients who started taking AED between 2006 and 2011.. This includes both privately insured patients and Medicaid and Medicare patients..

Prior to study entry, study participants had been taking only one specific antiepileptic drug for at least 90 days.

The results of the study are extremely important for clinicians, since long-term adherence to AED therapy is a key factor in the successful treatment of epilepsy, psychotic disorders and pain..

The ideal antiepileptic drug, according to Miss Parente, should combine high efficacy and good long-term tolerability..

While some small studies have suggested that second-generation drugs may be safer than lamotrigine, Parente noted that comparing their safety profile remains extremely difficult and controversial..

Side effects are the leading cause of treatment failure and are associated with almost 25% of treatment failures.. This leads to a decrease in the quality of life of patients and an increase in medical costs..

medbe. en.