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Chapter 13 - The effects of antiepileptic drugs on behavior

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 October 2011

Michael R. Trimble
Affiliation:
Institute of Neurology, London
Bettina Schmitz
Affiliation:
Vivantes, Humdoldt-Klinikum, Berlin, Germany
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Summary

Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) may modify systems which regulate mood and behavior. Carbamazepine and valproate are established drugs for affective disorders and all novel anticonvulsants have been tested in primary psychiatric disorders with respect to potential mood stabilizing properties. Patients with a biographic or genetic predisposition for psychiatric disorders are presumably more at risk to develop AED-related psychiatric complications such as depression and psychosis. Some studies have shown that patients with severe epilepsies are at a higher risk for psychiatric side effects. Children and adults with learning disability and multiple handicaps are particularly vulnerable to behavioral adverse effects of AEDs. Patients who develop forced normalization (FN) usually suffer from long-lasting treatment-resistant epilepsies, and experience a sudden and complete cessation of seizures. Behavioral drug effect profiles, both negative and positive psychotropic effects, ought to be considered in the choice of the optimal drug for an individual patient.
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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2011

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