Abstracts

Oxcarbazepine is one of the newer anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) indicated for adjunctive therapy in the pediatric population and is generally well-tolerated.
We reviewed the electronic medical database to identify children who had been placed on oxcarbazepine by 12 months of age to assess safety and tolerability in this age group. All children had been evaluated by a pediatric neurologist and diagnosed with epilepsy. Where available, patient characteristics were reviewed, including: age at time of oxcarbazepine initiation; ILAE classification; electroencephalographic (EEG) signature; dose; side-effects; and concomitant AED usage.
Twenty-seven patients were identified, whose age at the time of oxcarbazepine initiation ranged from 1 week to 12 months. Thirteen of the patients were designated as cryptogenic localization-related; twelve were symptomatic localization-related; one was cryptogenic generalized; and one was symptomatic generalized. The maximum dose in each patient ranged from 12 to 70 mg/kg/day. Sixteen of the patients had never been exposed to a prior anticonvulsant agent. Eight had normal EEGs; five had focal epileptiform abnormalities; and eight had multifocal epileptiform abnormalities. Two reported sleepiness as a side-effect; one was on 60 mg/kg/d and concomitant phenobarbital and primidone, while the other was having daily infantile spasms. One patient was switched to another AED, because of an asymptomatic hyponatremia. One patient was thought to be irritable, but had been chronically malnourished and abused.
Overall oxcarbazepine appears to be well-tolerated in patients less than 1 year of age.