Antiepileptic Drugs In Pediatric Indoor: Widely Prescribed; Wisely Consumed?

ABSTRACT

Seizure is a very common manifestation of a variety of disorders in pediatric age groups. The choice of antiepileptic drugs varies in different age groups in various doses, routes and frequencies. The perception of the care giver regarding proper use of medications is also equally important for success of pharmacotherapy. This study aimed to explore the prescribing pattern of seizure medications in pediatrics inpatients of a tertiary care hospital and assess the parent’s knowledge on drug intake simultaneously. Methods: A prospective observational study carried out with the prescription data of 107 children aged less than 18 years admitted in the pediatric department with the diagnosis of seizure and analyzed with descriptive statistics to obtain drug utilization indices. A questionnaire survey was employed on the parents of the children to assess their knowledge. Results: Neonatal presentation with seizure was more common than older pediatric age group. Commonest causes of convulsions were birth asphyxia with its sequel (84.78 %), CNS infection (39.34%) and epilepsy (32.79%). Monotherapy was highly prevalent (73.80%) with phenobarbitone and phenytoin being commonest drugs in neonatal and post-neonatal populations respectively. No newer generation antiepileptics were used. Generic prescribing was 28.03% with all the drugs being enlisted in essential medicine list. Average no. of anticonvulsants per prescription was 1.28. Parent’s knowledge about frequency of drug administration and food interaction was largely deficient. Conclusion: Monotherapy with older antiepileptics are preferred in pediatric indoor patients presenting with seizures. Parent education on appropriate use of medication is needed to rationalize the therapy.