Efficacia della somministrazione di Lamotrigina a lungo termine in soggetti con epilessia farmacoresistente

Eight female patients (age range 10-36 years) affected by symptomatic drug-resistant epilepsy were included in an add-on therapeutic trial with lamotrigine (200-350 mg/day). In all subjects, seizure frequency was evaluated during the two months preceding the administration of lamotrigine and during the 12 months of therapy, subdivided into 4-month periods. Furthermore, EEG during wakefulness and sleep polygraphic recordings were obtained just before the start of the treatment with lamotrigine and 3 and 12 months after. These allowed us to quantify both the interictal paroxysmal EEG activity and the ictal paroxysmal episodes. The results, showing a significant decrease of both clinical and laboratory indexes of paroxysmal activity, which became evident after the first 4 months of therapy and was maintained during the whole period of study, allow us to confirm the long- term effectiveness of lamotrigine in the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy.