Antiepileptic and their drugs l Study Pharma l

Antiepileptic:
Antiepileptics are the drugs that use to cure the epilepsies.

Epilepsies:

Epilepsy is a group of disorders of the CNS characterized by sudden cerebral dysrhythmia, manifesting as episodes of seizures or disturbance of consciousness with or without characterized body movements, sensory or psychiatric phenomena.

Categorises into two types:
1. Generalised seizures:
In this whole brain involved to manifest epilepsies last up to 1- 2 mins.
* Generalised tonic-clonic seizures:
- Involvements of jerking of body
- Unconsciousness and patient may fall down
- Tonic spasm of all body muscles
* Absence seizures:
It is minor epilepsies prevalent in children, episodes last up to 1/2 mins.
- No or not at all momentary loss of consciousness
- No jerking of body muscles and fall
* Atonic seizures:
- Loss of consciousness, patient may fall due to relaxation of all muscles.
* Myoclonic seizures:
- It manifest to shock like momentary jerking of body muscles.

2. Partial seizures:
In this localized area of brain involved in the brain.
* Simple partial seizures:
- Sudden clonic jerking of boy muscles lasting up to 30 -90 secs
- Patient may conscious andaware of attack
- Localized sensory disturbance, hallucination depending on area of cortex involved
* Complex partial seizures:
- Emotional changes last up to 1 -2 mins like attack of bizarre, confusion, walking unaware mostly involvement of Temporal lobe
- Impairment of consciousness and not aware of attack

Mechanism of Antiepileptic drug action:
1. Phenytoin prevents repetitive rapid firing of brain cells by inactivation of voltage gated sodium ion channel that govern hyperpolarization of neuronal cells.
2. It also depress the presynaptic release of glutamate that is excitatory transmitter and facilitates the release of GABA that is inhibitory transmitter that allow hyperpolarization of neuronal cells and reduced calcium influx.

Adverse effect of drug:
Uses: