Safety of antiepileptic drugs in children and young people: a prospective cohort study

Purpose: This study aims to describe the incidence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in children receiving antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and compare ADRs to the individual drugs when given as monotherapy. Method: Paediatric patients (≤18 years old) were enrolled for this prospective observational stu...

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Main Authors: Egunsola, Oluwaseun, Choonara, Imti, Sammons, Helen M., Whitehouse, William P.
Format: Article
Published: Elsevier 2018
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/50826/
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author Egunsola, Oluwaseun
Choonara, Imti
Sammons, Helen M.
Whitehouse, William P.
author_facet Egunsola, Oluwaseun
Choonara, Imti
Sammons, Helen M.
Whitehouse, William P.
author_sort Egunsola, Oluwaseun
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description Purpose: This study aims to describe the incidence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in children receiving antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and compare ADRs to the individual drugs when given as monotherapy. Method: Paediatric patients (≤18 years old) were enrolled for this prospective observational study over a 6-month period, between September 2015 and March 2016. Adverse reactions to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) were elicited at the time of enrolment and after 3 months using the Paediatric Epilepsy Side Effects Questionnaire. Results: A total of 1139 suspected ADRs were reported in 124 participants. Eighteen different AEDs were prescribed. Sixty-six children (53%) were receiving AED monotherapy at the time of recruitment; 34/66 (52%) of whom received new generation AEDs. Levetiracetam was the most frequently prescribed AED (62/124, 50%). When only children receiving AED monotherapy were considered, fatigue, drowsiness, weight gain, dizziness were less likely with levetiracetam (p < .01). Slow thinking and decreased concentration were less likely with levetiracetam or carbamazepine than valproic acid (p < .05). Five patients (four on polytherapy) discontinued AED treatment due to ADRs and 2 had a dose reduction. Conclusions: Levetiracetam and carbamazepine were better tolerated than sodium valproate.
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spelling nottingham-508262024-08-15T15:26:26Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/50826/ Safety of antiepileptic drugs in children and young people: a prospective cohort study Egunsola, Oluwaseun Choonara, Imti Sammons, Helen M. Whitehouse, William P. Purpose: This study aims to describe the incidence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in children receiving antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and compare ADRs to the individual drugs when given as monotherapy. Method: Paediatric patients (≤18 years old) were enrolled for this prospective observational study over a 6-month period, between September 2015 and March 2016. Adverse reactions to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) were elicited at the time of enrolment and after 3 months using the Paediatric Epilepsy Side Effects Questionnaire. Results: A total of 1139 suspected ADRs were reported in 124 participants. Eighteen different AEDs were prescribed. Sixty-six children (53%) were receiving AED monotherapy at the time of recruitment; 34/66 (52%) of whom received new generation AEDs. Levetiracetam was the most frequently prescribed AED (62/124, 50%). When only children receiving AED monotherapy were considered, fatigue, drowsiness, weight gain, dizziness were less likely with levetiracetam (p < .01). Slow thinking and decreased concentration were less likely with levetiracetam or carbamazepine than valproic acid (p < .05). Five patients (four on polytherapy) discontinued AED treatment due to ADRs and 2 had a dose reduction. Conclusions: Levetiracetam and carbamazepine were better tolerated than sodium valproate. Elsevier 2018-02-01 Article PeerReviewed Egunsola, Oluwaseun, Choonara, Imti, Sammons, Helen M. and Whitehouse, William P. (2018) Safety of antiepileptic drugs in children and young people: a prospective cohort study. Seizure, 56 . pp. 20-25. ISSN 1059-1311 Carbamazepine; Epilepsy; Levetiracetam; Paediatrics; Sodium valproate http://www.seizure-journal.com/article/S1059-1311(17)30847-6/fulltext doi:10.1016/j.seizure.2018.01.018 doi:10.1016/j.seizure.2018.01.018
spellingShingle Carbamazepine; Epilepsy; Levetiracetam; Paediatrics; Sodium valproate
Egunsola, Oluwaseun
Choonara, Imti
Sammons, Helen M.
Whitehouse, William P.
Safety of antiepileptic drugs in children and young people: a prospective cohort study
title Safety of antiepileptic drugs in children and young people: a prospective cohort study
title_full Safety of antiepileptic drugs in children and young people: a prospective cohort study
title_fullStr Safety of antiepileptic drugs in children and young people: a prospective cohort study
title_full_unstemmed Safety of antiepileptic drugs in children and young people: a prospective cohort study
title_short Safety of antiepileptic drugs in children and young people: a prospective cohort study
title_sort safety of antiepileptic drugs in children and young people: a prospective cohort study
topic Carbamazepine; Epilepsy; Levetiracetam; Paediatrics; Sodium valproate
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/50826/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/50826/
https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/50826/