Epilepsy News

Main Category: Pregnancy / Obstetrics Also Included In: Epilepsy ; Pediatrics / Children's Health Article Date: 24 Jul 2008 - 8:00 PDT Pregnant women with epilepsy who took the seizure drug topiramate, which is ...

Only one month after Johnson & Johnson was required to put a black box warning on Regranex and a week after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration rejected a black box warning on epilepsy drugs, research has ...

Pregnant women who use the epilepsy drug topiramate alone or in combination with other epilepsy drugs may be increasing their risk of birth defects, British researchers report.

An amazing spirit with eyes full of excitement may best describe one Northern Kentucky girl who battles epilepsy on a daily basis.

These, in turn, may ultimately participate in the molecular mechanisms required for neuronal changes subserving long-lasting changes in behavior.

Exposure to the category C antiepileptic topiramate in the first trimester of pregnancy carries a higher-than-usual rate of congenital malformations - especially when taken with valproate - according to an ...

The LSU Health Sciences Center lost its epilepsy treatment center because of Hurricane Katrina.

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Taking the epilepsy drug topiramate alone or along with other epilepsy drugs during pregnancy may increase the risk of birth defects, according to a study published in the July 22, 2008, issue ...

In elderly patients with epilepsy, phenytoin half-life and clearance during maintenance therapy does not appear to differ from that of younger adults, researchers report in the July issue of Neurology.

Some of history's most creative minds, including Vincent van Gogh, Ludwig Beethoven, Leo Tolstoy and Lewis Carroll, are believed to have had epilepsy.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A review of previous studies indicates that the seizure drug pregabalin (Lyrica) is safe and effective for relieving diabetic neuropathy, the pain that diabetics often experience in their feet and hands.

The analysis of data from seven studies of pregabalin, with dosages of 150, 300, and 600 milligrams daily and study durations from 5 to 13 weeks, is published in the journal Diabetes Care.

Dr. Roy Freeman of Harvard Medical School in Boston and colleagues report that "pregabalin significantly reduced pain and pain-related sleep interference" with all three dosages when divided into three pills taken throughout the day. Only the highest dosage was effective when divided into two pills.

A increase in government funding for the pharmaceutical budget for 2008/09 has been welcomed by Pharmac and district health boards.

The generosity of Northern Colorado residents to help victims of the May 22 tornado has been significant.

Epilepsy keeps Glenn Fenster on the move. Straddling an 18-speed Felt bicycle, he has pedaled more than 57,000 miles across North America, including Canada, in the past three years.

It was a cold day in January when Debra Nelson decided to drop in for a quick visit with her only son.

Tribune reporter Bruce Japsen contributed to this report. Bloomberg News July 11, 2008 Advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday opposed a stepped-up warning about suicide risks from ...

An advisory panel to the US Food and Drug Administration has concluded that the agency's strongest warning -- a black box on the label -- would not be in the best interests of patients taking 11 drugs ...

Pfizer Inc said its epilepsy drugs do not increase the risk of suicidal behavior and should be exempt from tougher warnings being sought for similar medications.

FDA has officially proposed adding black box warnings to 11 epilepsy drugs documenting the increase of suicidality in patients taking the medication.

By Susan Heavey

BELTSVILLE, Maryland (Reuters) - Anti-seizure drugs for treating epilepsy carry an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior, but not enough to warrant a black box warning, a U.S. advisory panel concluded on Thursday.

Members of the Food and Drug Administration's panel of outside experts rejected the agency's proposed caution, expressing concern that a strong warning could scare epilepsy patients from being treated with effective drugs.

"We need to be very careful about scaring the patients into not taking their drugs," said panelist Rochelle Caplan, a professor of psychiatry at the University of California in Los Angeles.