Efficacy of Lacosamide Add‑on Therapy on Refractory Focal Epilepsies in Children and Adolescents: An Open-Label Clinical Trial
Volume 11, Issue 3, Summer 2022, Pages 109-115
. Tayebeh Mohammadi, . Jafar Nasiri, . Mohammad Reza Ghazavi, . Omid Yaghini, . Neda Hoseini
Abstract Objective: Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that affects 0.5%–1%
of children. 30%–40% of patients are resistant to current anti-epileptic drugs.
Lacosamide (LCM) appeared to be effective, safe, and well tolerated in children
and adolescents. This study was aimed to evaluate whether LCM could be an
effective add-on therapy in children with refractory focal epilepsies. Methods: This
study was conducted from April 2020 to April 2021 in Imam Hossein Children
Hospital, Isfahan, Iran. We included 44 children aged 6 months to 16 years with
refractory focal epilepsy (based on International League Against Epilepsy criteria).
LCM was given in divided doses of 2 mg/kg/day, increasing by 2 mg/kg every
week. The first follow‑up visit was 6 weeks later, when all patients had reached
the therapeutic dose. Findings: The average age of the patients was 89.9 months.
72.5% of children had focal motor seizures. Evaluation of percent change in seizure
frequency and duration before and after treatment showed a 53.22% reduction in
seizure frequency and 43.72% reduction in seizure duration after treatment. Our
study group tolerated LCM well, with few side effects. Headache, dizziness, and
nausea were common side effects. In line with other studies, none of the suspected
risk factors could predict response to LCM treatment. Conclusion: LCM appears
to be an effective, safe, and well-tolerated medication in children with uncontrolled
drug-resistant focal epilepsy.