[Answered]: Test 2 Study Guide Chapter 27: Drugs for Seizure…

Test 2 Study Guide Chapter 27: Drugs for Seizure Disorders/ the Antiepileptics (AEDs) What is epilepsy? What does a generalized tonic-clonic (grand-mal) seizure look like? This type of seizure usually lasts no longer than 90 seconds. What is a major concern if this type of seizure goes on for several minutes? How should a patient monitor the effectiveness of drug therapy for epilepsy?Are antiepileptic drugs always needed for life? How should antiepileptic drugs be discontinued? Is it easy to find the right drug to control epilepsy? Is it easy to find the right dose? How long does the “monitoring period” need to continue to determine if a drug is working? All epilepsy medications require serum monitoring (I’ll give you therapeutic levels to refer to on the exam). Which ones have the “trickier” kinetics and overall a narrower margin of safety? Know the drugs phenytoin (Dilantin), carbamazepine (Tegretol), valproic acid (Depakote). Understand that any drug that is not one of the phenytoin, carbamazepine, valproic acid, or a benzodiazepine (ends in -AM) or a barbiturate is a “newer” or “non-traditional” anti-epileptic drug. For example: levetiracetam (Keppra), and gabapentin (Neurontin) are newer AEDs. What are the main adverse effects of phenytoin? (consider CNS, gums and teeth, and skin). What are some serious adverse effects that can occur when the drug is administered intravenously? What are signs of phenytoin toxicity? Page 242. The CNS AEs are exaggerated (nystagmus, diplopia, ataxia, sedation) What drugs interact adversely with phenytoin? What organ/system or systems are potentially adversely affected by valproic acid? by carbamazepine? Which lab values would change if these adverse effects occurred?