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Anticonvulsant Agents: Gabapentin and Pregabalin

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NeuroPsychopharmacotherapy

Abstract

Pregabalin (PGB) and gabapentin (GBP), both gabapentinoids, are established add-on therapy for focal onset epileptic seizures. Up to 10% of people with refractory focal epilepsy may become seizure-free with PGB as add-on therapy. PGB has a higher response rate but also higher adverse effects rate than GBP. The efficacy of PGB and GBP appears to be independent of the severity of the epilepsy. PGB and GBP are relatively safe drugs; their side effects are usually mild (dizziness, ataxia, weight gain, asthenia, and somnolence are the most frequent). The long-term retention rate, a composite of efficacy and tolerability, is, however, not impressive when compared to other antiepileptic drugs.

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Correspondence to Josemir W. Sander .

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Agró, L., Demurtas, R., Sander, J.W. (2020). Anticonvulsant Agents: Gabapentin and Pregabalin. In: Riederer, P., Laux, G., Mulsant, B., Le, W., Nagatsu, T. (eds) NeuroPsychopharmacotherapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56015-1_299-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56015-1_299-1

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