New antiepileptic drugs: Comparative studies of efficacy and cognition

Over the past 10 years, the Food and Drug Administration has approved eight prophylactic antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). Although the goal of universal seizure control without side effects has not been reached, the tolerability of medications has improved. This paper reviews the AEDs introduced since 1993 and tries to objectively present comparative data obtained in double-blind studies.