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Preliminary study on new seizure medication shows some promising results.
The study, using lacosamide, was conducted over a 12 week period, and consisted of 405 adults with epilepsy who had an average of four seizures a month, with no seizure free period longer than 21 days or more than 8 weeks before the study began.
According to Ed Susman, “Lacosamide, an investigational anti-epilepsy drug, appears to control seizures when used as adjunctive therapy in patients with refractory disease”. Patients using this drug have seen a 36% to 37% reduction in seizures, depending on dosage. According to Dr. Chung, many of the participants have been seizure free for 3 to 18 months while using lacosamide, which has enabled many to regain their drivers licenses.
One draw back that the patients in the study experienced was dizziness, which occurred frequently during the upward titration phase. However, according to Dr Chung the dizziness seemed to subside after the patient achieved the maintenance phase, and then only 10% continued to suffer.