Medical University of South Carolina collaborates on NIH study investigating efficacy of epilepsy drugs

Levetiracetam, fosphenytoin, and valproate, are three treatment options commonly used by doctors in the emergency room to treat patients with refractory status epilepticus, severe seizures that continue even after benzodiazepine medications are administered. These drugs are effective in controlling seizures in over two-thirds of patients. In a study led by investigators at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Medical University of South Carolina; George Washington University; and University of Virginia, the research shows that all three drugs are equally safe and effective in treating patients with refractory status epilepticus.

“Our study suggests that clinical outcomes are driven by factors other than drugs. Differences in how doctors decide to treat status epilepticus, such as when they give more drugs or when to anesthetize patients and put them on a mechanical ventilator, may be more important than the specific treatments used to control seizures in patients.”

The study, the Established Status Epilepticus Treatment Trial (ESETT), involved more than 380 child and adult participants who were randomized to receive one of the three treatments as they came to the emergency room for a seizure. The results showed no significant differences in effectiveness for any of the three drugs or in serious side effects.

The study was supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the National Institutes of Health.

Read the full story from NIH here.