Anticonvulsants and Epilepsy Drugs
Anticonvulsants, also known as anti epileptic or anti-seizure drugs, are used to treat seizures. Seizures are caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain. The symptoms a person experiences during a seizure depend on what parts of the brain are affected. The most commonly-known neurological disorder that causes seizures is epilepsy, but even epileptic seizures can fall into many different categories depending on what parts of the brain are involved.
Doctors have used medication to treat epileptic seizures since the 1800s. The first known anti seizure medication, potassium bromide, was discovered in 1857 and is still used today to treat seizures in pets. Many different types of anticonvulsants are available today, and the particular anti-seizure drug a physician prescribes is usually chosen based on the individual patient’s health history and medical needs..
Many anticonvulsants are also used to treat conditions that do not involve seizures. Topamax or topiramate, for instance, is more often prescribed to treat migraines, even though it was originally developed as an anti-seizure drug. Topamax affects the brain’s ability to use gamma-aminobutyrate acid, or GABA, which is a substance the body makes and uses to regulate electrical signals in the brain and nervous system. The medication is available in 25 mg, 50 mg, 100 mg, and 200 mg doses. It comes in either a solid tablet or a capsule containing “sprinkles,” which can be added to food before swallowing.
Despite fifteen years of research, however, scientists are still not certain exactly what role Topamax plays in the body’s use of GABA. Topamax is only one of several dozen medications that are currently used to treat seizures. Some, like paraldehyde and barbiturates, and much better understood, although these medications are not suitable for every epilepsy patient.
Topamax was released by Ortho-McNeil Neurologics and Noramco in 1995. At that time, it was approved and marketed only for treating seizures. Several years later, the FDA approved Topamax to treat migraines as well, and by 2011, more Topamax prescriptions were written to treat migraines than to treat seizures. Topamax is also used off-label to treat neuropathic pain. Several anticonvulsant medications are used this way, including Neurontin and Lyrica.
Topamax has also been used off-label to treat bipolar disorder and other psychiatric conditions. However, little research has been done on the effectiveness of topiramate as an antipsychotic medication or on the risks involved in using Topamax this way. In 2010, Ortho-McNeil Neurologics was fined over $6 million by the FDA for illegally marketing Topamax as a treatment for psychiatric disorders, even though the FDA had never approved topiramate for this use and had no evidence that using Topamax this way would be safe.
Other types of anti seizure drugs are approved or used to treat psychiatric conditions, however. For instance, some benzodiazepines are used to treat both epileptic seizures and psychiatric conditions. Anticonvulsant medications like Depakote and Lamictal may also be used to treat multiple conditions. Research has begun on possible psychiatric uses for Topamax as well, either as an anti psychotic drug or an antidepressant drug, to treat bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and binge eating disorder, among other conditions.
Epilepsy drugs can cause a number of unpleasant side effects, and Topamax is no exception. The National Institutes of Health list several dozen possible Topamax side effects, many of which can seriously impair your health or quality of life. If you’ve taken Topamax or another anticonvulsant or epilepsy drug and experienced disabling injuries or illness as a result, you are not alone.
The experienced attorneys at the Rottenstein Law Group will take the burden of fighting a blameworthy manufacturer off your shoulders, giving you the time you need to heal while we fight for compensation on your behalf. Call RLG today to learn more about how we can help.