Nightly oral administration of topiramate for benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes

Objective

The objective of this study was to explore the feasibility of nightly oral administration of topiramate for treating benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS).

Methods

Eighty-five children with BECTS receiving topiramate treatment were randomly divided into A group (44 patients) and B group (41 patients). In A group, topiramate was orally administrated once a night, with a final dose of 2 mg/kg/day. In B group, topiramate was orally administrated twice a day, with a final dose of 4 mg/kg/day. At the end of the 12-month follow-up period, clinical efficacy, changes in electroencephalographic (EEG) activity, and adverse reactions were analyzed.

Results

There was no significant difference in overall efficacy rate, percentages of patients achieving seizure free, or changes in EEG activity between the two groups (P > 0.05). The rate of adverse reactions for A group was 9.1 %, which was significantly lower than the 29.3 % for B group (χ ² = 4.262, P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Nightly oral administration of topiramate is a feasible strategy for the treatment of BECTS, with the advantages of comparable efficacy, convenience, and fewer adverse reactions.