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Anticonvulsants

 
Anticonvulsants fall within the class of drugs that are used for treating various types and forms of seizures. These are most often linked to seizure disorders like epilepsy, which is a neurological dysfunction where excessive electrical surges are emitted within the human brain, along with other disorders.

 
The most popular anticonvulsant drugs are often prescribed to treat a variety of medical conditions. Some of these include: fibromyalgia, bipolar disorder, and nerve pain (neuralgia) which is often caused by disease or injuries which can adversely affect the human nervous system.
 

Anticonvulsants Overview

There are several classes of anticonvulsant drugs. The hydantoins class includes both pheytoin (Dilantin) and the other drug mephenytoin (Mesantoin.) The succimides class includes: the drug ethosuximide (Zarontin) along with methsuccimide (Celontin.) For the benzodiazepines, better known as tranquilizers and sedatives, the drugs are: clonazepam (Klonopin), along with clorazepate (Tranxene) as well as the popular drug diazepam (Valium.) In addition, there are many other drugs that are not currently related to larger groups. Of these, the more commonly known are: carbamazepine (Tegretol), along with valproic acid (Depakote), and gabapentin (Neurontin). The drugs topiramate (Topamax), and felbamate (Felbatol) as well as several others also fall into this group. These powerful drugs are only available through prescription. They can be found tablet, or capsule form along with liquid, or "sprinkle" forms.
 
Your physician may prescribe anticonvulsant medication that is taken alone, or he or she may use a combination of several anticonvulsant medications. This depends on the seizure type as well as certain behavior pattern found in individual patients. There are some anticonvulsant drugs that should not be used on people under the age of 16.
 

Recommended Safe Dosage

The dosage your doctor prescribes will depend on the exact type of anticonvulsant that you will be taking. Also, its strength, along with the type of exact seizures you are having will also play a part in the dosage. If you are not sure about the dosage, check with your doctor or with a licensed pharmacist.
 
It is important that you do not stop using your medicine suddenly, especially if you have been on it for several weeks. The best option is to gradually taper off the drug which may reduce the risk of any possible withdrawal effects.
 
You should not change brand names or change the dosage of your medicine unless you first check with your pharmacist or your physician. Inspect your medicine at refill time. If it does not look exactly like the first medicine, ask the pharmacist about it.
 
Anticonvulsant medicine is available in tablet, capsule, sprinkle-form, syrup, and can also be administered via injection. It should be noted that not all anticonvulsant medicines are available in all of these forms. You doctor will prescribe the correct dosage of anticonvulsant. This will depend on your age, medical history, weight, as well as other health issues. It will also depend on the severity and the frequency of the seizures.
 
You should talk with the prescribing physician if you plan to take any anticonvulsant with non-prescription drugs. Patients should avoid consuming any type of alcohol and avoid taking any CNS depressants. This would include medications that make you tired or drowsy. These medicines are found in antihistamines, sleep medications, along with various pain medications. Anticonvulsants may increase the side effects that are found with alcohol or other drugs. Alcohol is also known to increase the risk as well as the frequency of seizures.
 

Side Effects of Anticonvulsants

There can be side effects with this type of medicine, and some of most common are constipation, dizziness, mild nausea, vomiting, headache, and drowsiness. Normally, these problems will go away as your body becomes more adjusted to the medicine and they may not require any medical treatment. Other side effects that are less common include: diarrhea, painful muscles, sleep problems, sweating, aching joints, increased light sensitivity, hair loss, changes to of facial features, increased hair growth, twitching muscles, and there may also be breast enlargement in some men. These side effects usually do not need require medical attention.
 

Anticonvulsant Drugs Interactions

There are some anticonvulsant medicines that should not be used within three hours of using certain medicines for diarrhea or certain antacids. Certain medicines can make your anticonvulsant medicine less effective. For more information, consult the pharmacist or your doctor.