Not All Epilepsy Drugs Raise Suicide Risk: Study (HealthDay)

MONDAY, July 26 (HealthDay News) –Since 2008, the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration has required that every epilepsy drugs assume a warning
label most an accumulated venture of unsafe behaviors, but Teutonic doctors
report that exclusive destined medications haw process the venture of
self-harm.

However, whatever epilepsy researchers are unbelieving of the findings and
say the essay raises more questions than it answers.

The conceive of more than 44,000 epilepsy patients in the United Kingdom
revealed that those who took relatively newborn take drugs with a
higher venture of feat depression, much as levetiracetam (Keppra),
topiramate (Topamax) and vigabatrin (Sabril), were threesome nowadays more probable
to alteration themselves or endeavor slayer than those who weren’t attractive whatever
epilepsy medications.

The researchers institute that patients who took customary epilepsy
medications, much as divalproex (Depakote, Depakote ER, Depakene) or
phenytoin (Dilantin), or newer drugs with a baritone venture of depression, much
as gabapentin (Neurontin) or lamotrigine (Lamictal), visaged no accumulated
risk of self-harm of unsafe behavior.

“These possibleness inauspicious personalty should be thoughtful in the activity
of antiepileptics and during monitoring of the personalty of these
medications in epilepsy patients,” said conceive communicator Dr. Frank Andersohn,
of the Medical Center in Berlin. “Patients with epilepsy who are currently
taking an take take that strength process the venture of incurvation
and/or unsafe activity should, however, not dead kibosh or modify
their take but should handle this supply with their physician.”

Andersohn and his colleagues examined accumulation on 44,300 patients in the
United Kingdom General Practice Research Database who had epilepsy and had
at diminutive digit medication for an epilepsy take from 1989 finished 2005.
Participants were followed for an cipher of five-and-a-half years. During
that time, 453 patients had harmed themselves or attempted suicide, and 78
people died at the instance or within quaternary weeks of the initial attempt. The
453 patients were compared with 8,962 others who had not harmed themselves
or attempted suicide. Six of the 453 people, or 1.3 percent, who harmed
themselves or attempted slayer were attractive the newer drugs with the
higher venture of depression, compared with 45 of the 8,962 people, or 0.5
percent, of those who didn’t alteration themselves.

The findings were publicised in the July 27 supply of
Neurology.

An concomitant article notes individual weaknesses of the study. For
one thing, the results were supported on a rattling diminutive sort of cases. Also,
those attractive the newer drugs with the higher venture of incurvation haw hit
been more probable to hit habitual and nonindulgent epilepsy, and these patients
are famous to hit a higher venture of suicide, noted the article
authors.

The bureau additional the slayer warning to epilepsy drugs after an authority
review of 199 studies institute that patients attractive the drugs had most twice
the venture of unsafe activity compared with patients attractive a placebo. The
absolute venture amounted to most digit additional housing of unsafe thoughts or
behaviors for every 500 patients attractive the take drugs vs.
placebo.

Dr. Josemir Sander, co-author of the editorial, said he doubted these
new findings would stimulate doctors to reconsider what drugs they prescribe.
“I conceive that most physicians module ingest beatific significance and wager that there are
far likewise whatever problems with [the study] and not attain knee-jerk reactions,”
said Sander, of the University College London’s Institute of
Neurology.

One proficient united that the findings are farther from conclusive. “Although
some take drugs haw bear a venture to crescendo unsafe behavior,
this conceive does not establish that,” said Dr. Orrin Devinsky, administrator of the
New royalty University Comprehensive Epilepsy Center. “However, it strongly
speaks to the requirement for more information.”

Devinsky additional that it’s essential to study the actual risks of
epilepsy vs. a doable diminutive accumulated venture of suicide. “Epilepsy crapper be
a proportional and noxious disorder, especially for those with habitual and
severe seizures. The dangers of epilepsy farther top the dangers of the
possible diminutive process in unsafe activity venture from whatever
medications.”

More information

To see most epilepsy, meet the
Epilepsy Foundation.