ABSTRACT
The goal of therapy of epileptic children is to control of seizures with minimal side effects of antiepileptic drug (AED). The relationship between side effects, serum levels and doses of AED were examined prospectively in 72 epileptic children who received monotherapy with phenobarbital, phenytoin, valproate, or carbamazepine for 6 to 26 months. Our results were as follows: 1) Side effects were observed in 59.7% of all patients; in decreasing order, behavioral (41.6%)>digestive (25.0%)>others (22.2%)>neurologic (11.1%). 2) The most common side effects in children treated with phenobarbital (PB) was behavioral (54.2%); these included hyperactivity, drowsiness, sleeping in decreasing order and there was significant relationship between drowsiness and serum level of PB(P<0.05). 3) Common side effects in patients receing carbamazepine (CBZ) were behavioral (52.0%) and digestive (52.2%); behavioral disorders included drowsiness and sleeping which showed significance with dosage of CBZ (P<0.01), digestive disorders were abdominal pain which showed significance, with dosage of CBZ (P<0.05) and weight gain. Other side effects were dizziness, headache, diplopia, tremor pallor, durg eruption, alopecia, aggravated acne etc. 4) The most common side effect in children treated with valproate (VPA) was pallor which showed significance with dosage of VPA (P<0.05). Abdominal pain had<0.05 significance with serum level of VPA, and Other side effects were anemia and weight gain. 5) In 83.3% of all patients, they had no side effects or could tolerate mild side effects. But in 12.5% of patients, the side effects disappeared when dosages were reduced, and AED had to be withdrawn in only 4.2% of patients.