Lamotrigine Research Paper

ff exit 5 on the NJ turnpike, a few miles down the road resting on the banks of the Delaware River is located a small notable community by the name of Burlington City. Once the seat of power for Burlington County and a stop on the underground to freedom for the enslaved African, it possesses a rich and bountiful history.

Propranolol is a beta-blocker. Beta-blockers affect the heart and circulation (blood flow through arteries and veins).

Status epilepticus are seizures lasting >20 minutes, or repeated seizures without regaining consciousness [71]. Physicians should be particularly careful with it, since the background may be other than epilepsy. Infection, haemorrhage, trauma, hypoxia, ischemic or haemorrhagic stroke, hypoglycaemia, hyponatremia, drug toxicity and alcohol withdraw should be ruled out. In any of the above, the provoking cause should be treated. If the cause is epilepsy, the treatment of choice is benzodiazepines and the second choice is phenytoin/ fosphenytoin, but with caution as rapid infusion may induce cardiovascular problems. For resistance in those two drugs, the Neurocritical Care Society’s Status Epilepticus Guideline

First of all, lithium, or lithium carbonate, is a very effective mood stabilizer (a medication that treats moods extending days to weeks, not moments) first approved by the FDA in the 1970’s. (Google) It was the first mood stabilizer which treated both manic and depressive episodes. Other mood stabilizers include anticonvulsants, medications originally developed to treat seizures (NIMH). This includes LTG. Mood stabilizers vary in their anti-manic and antidepressant effects. Lithium is more effective in treating mania. Lamotrigine is more useful for depressive symptoms. Both medications are Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved for the prophylactic (preventing disease) treatment of BD, and lamotrigine may be especially effective in rapid-cycling BD. (Merriam Webster,

Choosing an appropriate antiepileptic drug is the key to successful medical management of epilepsy in children. The choice of antiepileptic drug depends on several factors, of which the most important is accurate seizure classification. The other factors used to choose an appropriate antiepileptic drug include the side effect profile of the drug, The available age- and patient-appropriate preparations of the drug, Whether therapeutic levels are needed quickly or not (depending on the frequency and severity of the patient’s seizures), and the patient’s comorbidities.

Idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) is a major health concern, constituting up to one third of epilepsies (1). They are determined by genetics and affects people of all sexes and races. Many IGEs are lifelong, and have an onset during childhood or adolescence (1). One drug that is used to treat IGEs is the barbiturate, phenobarbital (2). This medication is one of the oldest available antiepileptics, and is low cost and effective (2). However, there are some serious side effects of the drug which include somnolence, neuralgic pain, hyperactivity, hypotension, respiratory depression and impairment of fine motor skills (3).

Perampanel (Fycompa®) is a new antiepileptic drug used as a secondary therapy in adolescents and adults who suffer from partial-onset seizures. Perampanel was identified via a focused discovery program at Eisai Research Laboratories in London and Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan (Satlin, Kramer & Laurenza, 2013). It is a selective, non-competitive antagonist drug and is the first in this new class of antiepileptic drug known as a-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA)-type glutamate receptor antagonist on post-synaptic neurons; thereby selectively preventing the transmission of seizures by blocking the effects of glutamate(Perucca, French and Bialer, 2007). Glutamate affects how electrical activity is spread in the brain and it is believed perampanel helps to reduce seizures by blocking this electrical spread to the brain (Plosker, 2012). This is a

A randomized trial suggested that drug varenicline can reduce heavy drinking in men. The medication also helps maintain smoking abstinence in individuals. The trial was conducted by the researchers at the Yale School of Medicine, led by Dr. Stephanie S. O’Malley.

The patient has just been prescribed Lisinopril by their physician. When assessing the patient’s current knowledge, the patient was only able to identify that Lisinopril does something with their blood pressure. They were unable to state what the medication actually does, warnings/precautions, or side effects. This teaching will provide the patient with the missing information regarding Lisinopril (what it does, side effects, warnings/precautions). The patient’s weakness is that they are currently unaware of any information about their medication. The patient’s strength is that the patient is eager to learn about the medication and has basic knowledge that the medication deals with blood pressure. If you miss a dose just take the dose as soon as you can remember. If it is almost time for your next dose go ahead and skip that does and just take the next one at the normal time. Do not take a double dose if you forget.

Gabapentin is an anti epileptic medication which is used to treat variety of conditions like epilepsy, neuropathic pain, hot flashes, diabetic neuropathy, post-herpetic neuralgia, and central neuropathic pain.

There are multiple different types of medications that have been used to help patients that face bipolar disorder, however the most popular of these medications is lamotrigine or also known as lamictal. Lamotrigine, a chemically produced drug, is within the class of anticonvulsants (drugs that are used for epileptic seizures), with its chemical name being 3,5-diamino-6-(2,3-dichlorophenyl)-as-triazine. Lamotrigine is described as white or a cream colored powder that can be induced through oral or chewable tablets. These tablets can be taken with or without at the discretion of the person (RxList., 2017).

Whereas, in PTZ-induced seizures, augmented effects were obtained when nifedipine was combined with sodium valproate [2].

Treatment for epilepsy is often focused on controlling the seizures with the least amount of medication as possible. Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are the class used to accomplish this. Some of the AEDs that are used most often are Clonazepam, Diazepam, Divalproex, Gabapentin, and Phenytoin. The most common side effects of these medications include nausea, vomiting, sedation, fatigue, and lethargy. (Kwan,1; Benbadis, 3-5; Huethers,637)

Anticonvulsants have an edge with rapid-cycling and mixed mood states (e.g. depression with racing thoughts). Except for gabapentin (Neurontin) and lamotrigine (Lamictal), they require blood tests. Carbamazepine (Tegretol) is monitored with blood levels; also CBC, platelets and liver function tests. Valproate (Depakote) requires CBC, platelet count and liver function tests; blood levels may be helpful. Lamotrigine (Lamictal) requires caution because of its association with a rare but dangerous skin rash (exfoliative dermatitis); risk can be minimized by starting with low doses and increasing gradually. Use lower doses with medications that slow lamotrigine metabolism (e.g. valproate). Gabapentin is generally safe and does not require blood tests.

Epilepsy is one of the most common and well known serious neurological condition. The current treatment of epilepsy is done with modern AEDs which is associated with side effects , dose related and chronic toxicity, and even, approximately 30% of the patients continue to have seizures with these current therapies and medicines. Because of this , natural products obtained from traditional remedies can be considered as an alternative source for the AEDs with novel structures and shows better safety and efficacy parameters. It is assumed that more than half of the medicinally active pharmaceutical drugs are from natural products or either derivatives of natural products. The presently available AEDs (Antiepileptic drugs )i.e., phenobarbitone, benzodiazepine, sodium valproate and ethosuximide are associated with a number of short comings, dose related neurotoxicity and other side effects. Though AED therapy is meant for a long duration usage , because of this , there is a risk of drug interactions and this problem is further compounded by the high protein bindings for some drugs and potential for inducing hepatic enzymes. These limitations with the conventional AEDs highlighted the need for developing newer agents for epilepsies.