Antiepileptic Drugs: A Clinician's Manual

Part of the Oxford American Neurology Library, this concise handbook provides practical, up-to-date clinical guidance on effectively selecting, prescribing and monitoring antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), based on drug pharmacokinetics, drug interactions, other uses of AEDs, adverse-effects of AEDsand patient clinical characteristics (i.e. age, comorbidities, and comedications) in partial and generalized epilepsies. This book is designed to provide physicians with a highly patient-focused reference. It provides comprehensive coverage of current treatment options, and in addition to a briefformal discussion of the basic pharmacology of each antiepileptic drug, the text also discusses how to choose pharmacotherapies depending upon underlying medical conditions and the type of epilepsy. The advantages and disadvantages of various drug therapies are reviewed and clear guidance is givenas to which drugs should be used in various medical conditions. The book takes a unique approach by systematically addressing optimum treatment approaches by according to patients' particular medical conditions or comorbidities and other special circumstances, such as how to use and monitor antiepileptic drugs in pregnancy, in the elderly, in theimmunosuppressed, etc. It also describes how to correctly prescribe and titrate drugs, how to monitor efficacy and side effects, how to diagnose and manage toxicity, interactions with other drugs, pharmacokinetic properties of AEDs, and other relevant issues for clinicians. This book is anindispensable reference to optimize efficacy and ensuring safety of antiepileptic drug therapies across the patient spectrum.