Medication chart

MEDICATION CHART Page 1
MEDICATION
TREATMENT
POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS
FIRST LINE DRUGS
Phenytoin
Nausea, vomiting, constipation, poor appetite, headaches, dizziness, drowsiness, muscle twitches, sleeplessness, swollen tender gums, excess hair growth, coarsening of facial features, blurred or double vision, slurred speech, unsteadiness on thefeet, jerky movements of eyes, confusion. (Veryrare is joint swelling, pain and muscle aches).
Sodium Valproate
Nausea, vomiting, stomach upset, diarrhoea, increased appetite, weight gain, fluid retention, sweating, excessive thirst and urination, bed wetting, hair loss, skin rash. (Very rare is liverdamage, inflammation of pancreas, decreasednumber of blood platelets).
Carbamazepine
Drowsiness, dizziness, unsteadiness, ringing in the ears, increased sensitivity to sound, blurred or double vision, pins and needles or numbnessin the extremities, nausea, vomiting, abdominalpains, poor appetite, diarrhoea, constipation.
gastric irritation, frequent urination, allergicskin reaction. (Very rare is liver inflammation,impaired kidney function).
Ethosuximide
Effective against absence seizures only.
Nausea, vomiting, stomach upset, poor appetite.
headache, dizziness, drowsiness, fatigue, poor concentration, hyperactivity, irritability, hiccups,swollen tender gums, excess hair growth.
SECOND LINE DRUGS continues over page
Lamotrigine
Dizziness, headache, double vision, unsteady gait or poor balance, drowsiness, blurred vision, nausea, vomiting, weakness or fatigue.
Rash (more likely if person already taking Epilim) -should be reported to doctor immediately.
Lower doses should be used if on Epilim.
Gabapentin
Drowsiness, sedation, dizziness, ataxia, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, weight gain, unsteady gait, involuntary movement of eyeballs, memory disturbances, nervousness, dry mouth, not controlled by other medications.
Mild itch or rash - see doctor promptly.
TABLE taken from: Epilepsy – A resource for teachers Written by Anne Little, Epilepsy Queensland Inc. 2002 MEDICATION CHART Page 2
MEDICATION
TREATMENT
POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS
SECOND LINE DRUGS continued
Vigabatrin
For the treatment of epilepsy previously Drowsiness or sedation, fatigue, anxiety, dizziness, headache, memory disturbances, double particularly partial seizures. Considered vision, unsteady gait, insomnia, irritability, useful in treatment of infantile spasms.
weight gain, nausea, constipation, stomach pains.
(Children - agitation, excitement, insomnia, behavioural difficulties). Loss of peripheral vision - should have visual field tests every 6 months.
Topiramate
Fatigue, weight decrease, dizziness, confusion, depression, agitation, hallucination, poor coordination, speech disorder, kidney stones, Tiagabine
Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, dizziness, tiredness, headache, insomnia, poor concentration, loss of Clonazepam
behaviour problems, excessive saliva, fatigue, muscle weakness, vertigo, lightheadedness, especially absences, myoclonic, tonic& tonic clonic, whether due to primaryor secondarily generalised epilepsy;but tolerance often develops.
Diazepam
concentration, impaired memory and learning, Primidone
Sedation, visual disturbances, nausea, headache, and generalised epilepsy, however is noteffective in treating absence seizures.
Oxcarbazepine
Tiredness, dizziness, headache, clumsiness, agitation, blurred vision, nausea, lack of energy, constipation, diarrhoea, abdominal pain.
Levetiracetam
Somnolence, fatigue, coordination difficulties, behavioural abnormalities, loss of strength, Clobazam
concentration, impaired memory and learning, TABLE taken from: Epilepsy – A resource for teachers Written by Anne Little, Epilepsy Queensland Inc. 2002

Source: https://www.epilepsytasmania.org.au/Assets/Documents/Library/10_02_Medication-Chart.pdf