Drugs for Seizure Disorders Flashcards
Anticonvulsants
tx seizure disorders
- excessive, random discharge of neurons in brain
- imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory systems
Partial seizures
No loss of consciousness localized to specific area -elementary symptamology- cortical focal -complex symptomatology- psychomotor -increasing electrical activity at a focu followed by synch of the surrounding neurons, abnormal firing can then spread to adjacent neurons
Generalized siezures
always involves loss of consciousness
- tonic clonic
- absence
- status epilepticus
Tonic clonic (grand mal) siezures
focal seizure activity in one hemisphere spreads throughout the brain
-generalized seizure
Absence (petit mal) seizure
generalized seizure
- brief interruptions of consciousness manifested as motionless staring
- school aged children
- abnormal synch of thalamocortical and cortical cells, activation of T-type calcium channels that are normally active during sleep
Status epilepticus (absence or tonic clonic)
generalized seizures
5 min w/o regaining consciousness
med emergency
MOA
1) Prolong inactivation of Na channels- reduce ability of neurons to fire at high frequency (phenytoin, carbamazzepine, valproic acid, lacosamide, lamotrigine, topiramate, zonisamide)
2) Enhance GABA-ergic activity- inc receptor response to neurotransmitter (barbs, benzos) or inc synaptic activity of GABA (tiagabine, levetiracetam)
3) Inhibit T-type Ca+ channels (active during sleep, efficacious for absence seizures) (ethosuximide, valproic acid, trimethadione)
4) Other- dec excitatory neurotransmission by binding to subunits of voltage gated Ca channels within CNS; enhance K+ channel opening (gabapentin, pregabalin, ezogabine)
Benzos- Diazepam
Bind to BZ site on GABA receptor and inc affinity of GABAa receptors for GABA- inc likelihood of Cl channel opening
Drug of choice for tx of status epilepticus (iv)
Effective for tonic clonic and absence seizures but only for 2-3 weeks due to tolerance to anticonvulsant effects
Barbiturates
Bind to barbiturate binding site on GABAa receptor- inc Cl ion channel flux by inc channel opening time
-Dec glutametergic neurotransmission
Phenobarbital- tonic clonic seizures, very sedating, abrupt withdrawal can precipitate status epilepticus, induces microsomal enzymes, possible teratogen
can lead to stevens-johnson syndrome
Primidone
- Converted to phenobarbital and then phenylethylmalonamid (All three are active)
- frequently effective in pts not responding to phenytoin or phenobarbital (combo with phenytoin but NOT with phenobarbital)
- drowsiness, ataxia, nausea, vomiting, rash, diplopia, blood dyscrasias, impotence
Hydantoins
- Phenytoin (ethotoin, fosphenytoin, mephenytoin)
- Prolongs inactivation of Na channels, decreases glutamate release
- Tonic clonic and partial seizures drug of choice
- generally less sedating than barbs
- numerous drug interactions- highly bound to plasma proteins, induces P450s and other enzymes increasing metabolism and can lead to vit D deficiency
- metabolism- first order, hepatic metabolic capacity saturates in therapeutic concentration range (changes to zero order), small dose increases- large changes in drug concentration and toxicity
Side effects of hydantoins
- diplopia, ataxis, drowsiness, nausea vomiting, rashes
- hirsutism, hyperplasia of gums, megaloblastic anemia, teratogenic (fetal hydantoin syndrome), coarsening of facial features, osteomalacia
Valproid acid
- broad spectrum
- inc Na channel inactivation, inhibit T type Ca channels, enhances GABA transmission, modifies AA metabolism
- tonic clonic seizures
- idiosyncratic hepatotoxicity (esp in children <2 yo or taking multiple drugs- fatal)
- sedation uncommon
- SE: pancreatitis, nausea, vomiting, diplopia,
- IV for status epilepticus
- P450 inhibitor- inhibits metabolism of other drugs!!!
Which anticonvulsant is a p450 inhibtor
valproic acid
Carbamazepine
- partial seizures
- relatively safe and nontoxic
- diplopia, ataxia, drowsiness, not typically sedating, induces microsomal enzymes
- blood dyscrasias