Lamotrigine (LTG) and
Vigabatrin (VGB) has been licensed widely as adjunctive
therapy for partial and secondary
generalized seizures. We compared the efficiency of
Lamotrigine and
Vigabatrin as adjuvant
therapy for 33 patients (16 male and 17 female) with
drug-resistant partial epileptic
seizures (simple and complex) with secondary generalization receiving combination
therapy (
carbamazepine--CBZ and
valproic acid--VPA). Patients were enrolled if they had experienced two
partial seizures (simple or complex) and one secondary generalization/month, despite combination
therapy. Neurologic evaluation including CT, MRI and EEG was performed every 3 months during observation. Blood specimens for CBZ and VPA plasma concentration were obtained prior to the first LTG or VGB dose and twice a year during the treatment. The assessment of LTG and VGB effectiveness was performed in 2-month intervals during 2-3 years for
vigabatrin (mean daily dose 2.0 g) and 1-2 years for
Lamotrigine (mean daily dose 0.3 g). The treatment (CBZ, VPA or both) with
Vigabatrin or
Lamotrigine as adjunctive
therapy was effective in about a half of patients with
refractory epilepsy. Findings suggest that the reduction in
partial seizures (simple or complex) frequency with
Vigabatrin is greater than that with
Lamotrigine. On the other hand,
Lamotrigine seems to be more effective in patients with partial epileptic
seizures with secondary generalization.