Abstract
Despite advances in epilepsy therapeutics, some physicians feel uncomfortable with newer antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) due to difficulty in promptly obtaining blood levels to guide medication adjustment, and even when levels for newer AEDs are obtained, many practitioners feel they are not very useful. Lacking confidence in AEDs whose levels that cannot readily or expeditiously be measured, many clinicians share uncertainty about proper use of the newer AEDs and monitoring AED administration. Similarly, some epilepsy patients inflate the importance of AED blood level monitoring, feeling that blood levels falling within traditionally therapeutic ranges are a fail-safe for seizure control, regardless of their compliance or personal behavior aggravating seizure burden, such as poor sleep or use of illicit substances. This review examines the elusive concept of therapeutic AED blood levels and potential uses and abuses of blood level monitoring, reinforcing appropriate uses for blood levels to ensure compliance and adjust for altered AED pharmacokinetics in the context of aging and disease states, pregnancy, or drug interactions.
Keywords: Epilepsy, antiepileptic drugs, blood levels, monitoring
Current Neuropharmacology
Title: Monitoring Antiepileptic Drugs: A Level-Headed Approach
Volume: 7 Issue: 2
Author(s): Erik K. St. Louis
Affiliation:
Keywords: Epilepsy, antiepileptic drugs, blood levels, monitoring
Abstract: Despite advances in epilepsy therapeutics, some physicians feel uncomfortable with newer antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) due to difficulty in promptly obtaining blood levels to guide medication adjustment, and even when levels for newer AEDs are obtained, many practitioners feel they are not very useful. Lacking confidence in AEDs whose levels that cannot readily or expeditiously be measured, many clinicians share uncertainty about proper use of the newer AEDs and monitoring AED administration. Similarly, some epilepsy patients inflate the importance of AED blood level monitoring, feeling that blood levels falling within traditionally therapeutic ranges are a fail-safe for seizure control, regardless of their compliance or personal behavior aggravating seizure burden, such as poor sleep or use of illicit substances. This review examines the elusive concept of therapeutic AED blood levels and potential uses and abuses of blood level monitoring, reinforcing appropriate uses for blood levels to ensure compliance and adjust for altered AED pharmacokinetics in the context of aging and disease states, pregnancy, or drug interactions.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
St. Louis K. Erik, Monitoring Antiepileptic Drugs: A Level-Headed Approach, Current Neuropharmacology 2009; 7 (2) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/157015909788848938
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/157015909788848938 |
Print ISSN 1570-159X |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1875-6190 |
- Author Guidelines
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Editorial Policies
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
- Announcements
- Forthcoming Thematic Issues
Related Articles
-
Analysis of NCL Proteins from an Evolutionary Standpoint
Current Genomics Biochemical, Enzymatic and Molecular Properties of Renin/Prorenin Mediated by (Pro)Renin Receptor
Immunology, Endocrine & Metabolic Agents in Medicinal Chemistry (Discontinued) Adenosine Receptor Ligands-Recent Developments Part I. Agonists
Current Medicinal Chemistry Fructose 1,6-Bisphosphate: A Summary of Its Cytoprotective Mechanism
Current Medicinal Chemistry The Role of Neuroimaging in Our Understanding of the Suicidal Brain
CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets Personalized Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Radiology, EEG, Pharmacogenetics and Biochemistry
Current Pharmacogenomics and Personalized Medicine Pharmacologically Targeting the Primary Defect and Downstream Pathology in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Current Gene Therapy Brain Network Connectivity Mediates Education-related Cognitive Performance in Healthy Elderly Adults
Current Alzheimer Research Recent Patents on Biomedical Devices and Nanomaterials for Hyperthermal Therapy of Cancer
Recent Patents on Nanomedicine Stem Cell Therapy for Ischaemic Stroke: Translation from Preclinical Studies to Clinical Treatment
CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets Coenzyme Q10 in Neuromuscular and Neurodegenerative Disorders
Current Drug Targets Benzodiazepines and Sleep Architecture: A Systematic Review
CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets Impaired Functional Connectivity of the Thalamus in Alzheimer’ s Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Resting-State fMRI Study
Current Alzheimer Research Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor Ligands as Potential Therapeutics for Addiction
Current Drug Abuse Reviews Critical Review on the Chemical Aspects of Cannabidiol (CBD) and Harmonization of Computational Bioactivity Data
Current Medicinal Chemistry Huntingtons Disease: The Value of Transcranial Meganetic Stimulation
Current Medicinal Chemistry In Vivo Experimental Models of Epilepsy
Central Nervous System Agents in Medicinal Chemistry Substituted Aminobenzothiazole Derivatives of Tacrine: Synthesis and Study on Learning and Memory Impairment in Scopolamine-Induced Model of Amnesia in Rat
Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry Status Epilepticus: An Overview
Current Drug Metabolism Targeting Oxidative Stress Component in the Therapeutics of Epilepsy
Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry