anticonvulsant

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Related to Antiepileptics: Analgesics, Benzodiazepines

anticonvulsant

[an″te, an″ti-kon-vul´sant]

1. inhibiting convulsions.

2. an agent that has this effect, such as diphenylhydantoin (Dilantin), mephenytoin (Mesantoin), and trimethadione. They are used in the treatment of epilepsy and in psychomotor and myoclonic seizures.

an·ti·con·vul·sant

(an'tē-kon-vŭl'sant),

1. Preventing or arresting seizures.

2. An agent having such action.

Synonym(s): anticonvulsive, antiepileptic

anticonvulsant

/an·ti·con·vul·sant/ (-kon-vul´sant) inhibiting convulsions, or an agent that does this.

anticonvulsant

(ăn′tē-kən-vŭl′sənt, ăn′tī-)

A drug that prevents or relieves convulsions.

an′ti·con·vul′sive (-sĭv) adj.

anticonvulsant

[-kənvul′sənt/]

Etymology: Gk, anti + L, convellere, to shake

1 pertaining to a substance or procedure that prevents or reduces the severity of epileptic or other convulsive seizures.

2 an anticonvulsant drug. Hydantoin derivatives, especially phenytoin, apparently exert their anticonvulsant effect by stabilizing the plasma membrane and decreasing intracellular sodium levels; as a result, the excitability of the epileptogenic focus is reduced. Phenytoin prevents the spread of excessive discharges in motor areas and suppresses arrhythmias originating in the thalamus, frontal lobes, and other brain areas. Succinic acid derivatives, valproic acid, and various barbiturates are among the drugs prescribed to limit or prevent absence seizures. Some benzodiazepines are also useful as anticonvulsants. Many of these agents can produce fetal malformations when administered to pregnant women. Also called antiepileptic.

anticonvulsant

adjective Related to preventing seizures noun Any agent used to prevent, reduce or stop seizures or convulsions. See Epilepsy.

an·ti·con·vul·sant

(an'tē-kŏn-vŭl'sănt)

1.Preventing or arresting seizures.

2. An agent having such action.

anticonvulsant

A drug used to prevent or reduce the severity of epileptic attacks, or to prevent dangerous muscle contraction in electroconvulsive therapy. Anticonvulsant drugs include PHENYTOIN (Epanutin), PHENOBARBITONE (phenobarbital) (Luminal), ETHOSUXIMIDE (Zarontin), CARBAMAZEPINE (Tegretol), SODIUM VALPROATE (Epilim) and CLONAZEPAM (Rivotril).

Anticonvulsant

A type of drug given to prevent seizures. Some patients with migraines can be treated effectively with an anticonvulsant.

Mentioned in: Antimigraine Drugs

an·ti·con·vul·sant

(an'tē-kŏn-vŭl'sănt)

1. Preventing or arresting seizures.

2. An agent having such action.
Synonym(s): anticonvulsive.

anticonvulsant

1. inhibiting convulsions. Any drug that depresses the central nervous system may be used for its anticonvulsant effect. This includes narcotics and sedatives. They have the undesirable effect of depressing all CNS functions.

2. a specific motor depressant, such as anticonvulsant or antiepileptic, which depresses specifically the motor centers and suppresses spontaneous motor activity; examples are phenobarbital, phenytoin, primidone and diazepam.

References in periodicals archive ?

Each group comprised of 100 subjects labeled as Group-A (control group had healthy individuals), Group-B (newly diagnosed epileptic patients without antiepileptic therapy), Group-C (epileptic patients on Carbamazepine therapy, which was further subdivided into C-I having epileptic patients on Carbamazepine therapy less than 1 year n = 33, C-II had epileptic patients on Carbamazepine therapy 1-2 years n = 33 and C-III comprised of epileptic patients on Carbamazepine therapy more than 2 years n = 34).

Correlation between Hyperhomocysteinemia and Common Carotid Artery Intima media Thickness in Carbamazepine treated Epileptic patients using Ultrasonography

Parents were asked in detail about risk factors like trauma, medical or surgical history, birth history, type and number of antiepileptics prescribed, all drugs doseswere calculated according to weight, duration and compliance especially any gaps in treatment, frequency of seizures in last 3 months while on treatment and it was recorded on a performa by the researcher.

CLINICAL SPECTRUM OF SEIZURES AND EFFICACY OF ANTICONVULSIVE TREATMENT IN CHILDREN

Incidence of drug reactions owing to antiepileptics was most common in the age group of 11-20 years and seen in 20.

A study of adverse cutaneous drug reactions (ACDR) owing to antiepileptics at a rural-based tertiary-care center, Gujarat

Antiepileptic drugs therapy in elderly requires pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamic adjustment due to the physiological changes associated with aging and frequent co-morbid conditions.

Seizures and epilepsy in elderly: a tertiary care centre hospital based study

Analyses in the prior Neurodevelopmental Effects of Antiepileptic Drugs (NEAD) study have shown that valproate is linked to major congenital malformations and lower IQ in toddlers (N.

Maternal valproate linked to children's cognitive problems

The term antiepileptic drug hypersensitivity syndrome (ADHS) or drug-related rash with eosinophilia and systemic reaction (DRESS) represents a rash that typically occurs during the first weeks of therapy with one of the following AEDs: phenytoin, lamotrigine, or carbamazepine.

T had PNES because of the unusual presentations of her seizures, negative video EEG findings, failure to respond to antiepileptics, lack of risk factors for epilepsy, and aggressive behaviors before or after the seizures (Table).

Epilepsy or something else?

Unlike the older drugs, third-generation antiepileptics have not shown their risks for anomalies to be dose dependent, he added.

Monitor newer antiepileptics closely

Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) were associated with an increased risk of suicide attempts or completions among patients with depression and in the relatively small group of patients who were taking AEDs for indications other than epilepsy, depression, or bipolar disorder.

Antiepileptics did not raise suicide risk in database study

A spokesperson for Ortho-McNeil, maker of Topamax (topiramate), noted that the label for the company's antiepileptic drug has always carried language on suicide.

Suicidality alert on antiepileptic labels likely to be broadened

Blood samples were collected from epilepsy patients who were treated with carbamazepine, phenobarbital, phenytoin, or mixtures containing two or three of these antiepileptics.

Therapeutic drug monitoring of anticonvulsant drugs by micellar HPLC with direct injection of serum samples

The latest approval is based on a multi-center study of 98 children and adolescents with Lennox-Gastaut, who had experienced at least 60 seizures the previous month and were stabilized on the optimum dose of one or two other antiepileptic drugs; topiramate or placebo was added to their treatment.