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Treatments and drugs
By Mayo Clinic staffMany medications can effectively reduce or eliminate the number of absence seizures. Finding the right medication and dosage can be complex, requiring a period of trial and error. Taking the medications on a regular schedule is crucial to maintaining the proper drug levels in the blood.
Often, the first drug prescribed for absence seizures is ethosuximide (Zarontin). However, other medications, such as valproic acid (Depakene) and lamotrigine (Lamictal), also are effective at controlling seizures. Your doctor will likely start at the lowest dose of medication possible, and increase the dosage as needed to control the seizures. Most children can discontinue anti-seizure medications, under a doctor's supervision, after they've been seizure-free for two years.
Female adults who need treatment for absence seizures are advised against using valproic acid while trying to conceive or during pregnancy, because the drug has been associated with higher risk of serious complications for the baby. Women who can't achieve seizure control on any other medication need to speak with their doctors about the potential risks.
- Absence seizures (also called petit mal). The Epilepsy Foundation. http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/about/types/types/seizureabsence.cfm?renderforprint=1&. Accessed April 24, 2009.
- Ropper AH, et al. Epilepsy and other seizure disorders. In: Ropper AH, et al. Adams and Victor's Principles of Neurology. 9th ed. New York, N.Y.: McGraw-Hill Medical Pub. Division; 2009. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=3632229. Accessed April 22, 2009.
- Seizures and epilepsy: Hope through research. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/epilepsy/detail_epilepsy.htm?css=print. Accessed April 24, 2009.
- Stafstrom CE, et al. Pathophysiology of seizures and epilepsy. http://www.uptodate.com/index/home.html. Accessed April 17, 2009.
- Magnati R, et al. Nonconvulsive status epilepticus. Epilepsy and Behavior. 2008; 12:572.
- Seizure disorders. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/print/sec16/ch214/ch214a.html. April 26, 2009.
- Elger CE. Modern management of epilepsy: A practical approach. Epilepsy and Behavior. 2008;12:501.
- Practice Parameter update: Management issues for women with epilepsy — Focus on pregnancy (an evidence based review): Teratogenesis and perinatal outcomes. St. Paul, Minn.: American Academy of Neurology. http://www.neurology.org/cgi/content/abstract/WNL.0b013e3181a6b312v1. Accessed April 27, 2009.
