Abstract
The goal of starting antiseizure medication (ASM) is for the patient to have no further seizures and no significant side effects. At the time of presentation, additional clinical and laboratory testing is typically needed to determine the risk of seizure recurrence. Though early versus delayed initiation of an ASM does not necessarily affect the natural history of epilepsy, it may impact the short-term risk of seizure recurrence. Ultimately, the ASM selected needs to be appropriate for the suspected seizure classification: focal versus generalized. The next consideration is to weigh possible adverse effects and to consider those in the context of an individual patient’s comorbidities. Both the risk of seizure recurrence and potential side effects from ASM need to be discussed with the patient at the time of drug initiation.
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Crepeau, A.Z. (2021). Starting Antiseizure Medication. In: Tatum, W.O., Sirven, J.I., Cascino, G.D. (eds) Epilepsy Case Studies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59078-9_17
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59078-9_17
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