| Abstract: | Lamotrigine (Lamictal, Glaxo Wellcome) is a drug which is used as add-on therapy in patients with refractory epilepsy. Several previous studies have demonstrated the efficacy of lamotrigine monotherapy, but only few have been done in pediatric patients. The aim of our study was the assessment of efficacy and tolerability of lamotrigine monotherapy in children with newly diagnosed partial epilepsy. Lamictal was used in 19 children (11 boys and 8 girls), aged 3-16 years. 17 patients demonstrated complex partial seizures (with or without secondarily generalisation), 2 children had simplex partial seizures. Symptomatic epilepsy was diagnosed in 10 patients and cryptogenic epilepsy in 9 cases. The drug was administered at the dose of 3.87 +/- 1.02 mg/kg/day during 24 weeks. Three children withdrew from the study because of adverse events: one patient developed rash, two ones seizure exacerbation. Lamictal produced of at least 50% reduction in seizure frequency in 12 (63.15%) children, included 10 seizure-free patients. One third patients experienced EEG improvement. The most common adverse effects were gastrointestinal and sleep disturbances, infections, dizziness, all of them were mild and transient and observed more often in children under 12 years of age. Lamotrigine monotherapy is effective and safe for treatment of newly diagnosed cryptogenic and symptomatic epilepsy with partial seizures but further studies are necessary specially in young children. |
