Zarontin Wins Battle of Best Anticonvulsant, New Study Finds
12.03.10
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Childhood absence seizures – brief staring spells in which children are unresponsive – affect children dozens to hundreds of times a day, said lead researcher Dr. Tracy Glauser, of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.
The study analyzed each drug’s ability to control seizures without simultaneously creating adverse side effects or compromising general focus and attention.
Zarontin and Depakote had fairly similar results, leaving 53 percent and 58 percent of children without seizures, respectively. Only 29 percent of children treated with Lamictal experienced complete seizure control at the end of the 16-week trial.
However, roughly half of children treated with Depakote experienced attention dysfunction, compared with 33 percent for Zarontin and 24 percent for Lamictal.
Glauser said the results of the study indicated that all three drugs were beneficial, but added, “These results indicate that as a population, ethosuximide [Zarontin] gave the child the best chance to get the combination of seizure control without side effects or effects on attention that we want.”
Source: DrugWatch.com
Zarontin Gets High Marks for Kids' Epilepsy
05.03.10
March 4, 2010 -- One of the oldest drugs used to treat the most common form
of pediatric epilepsy is also the most effective, a study shows.
As many as 17% of children with epilepsy have absence seizures, also known
as petit mal seizures, which involve brief but frequent staring spells that can
occur dozens or even hundreds of times a day.
These children do not have the convulsions typically associated with
epilepsy, but they are at high risk for developing them later in life.
During the 10- to 15-second seizure episodes, people with absence epilepsy
become unresponsive and may stop walking or talking in mid-sentence. Children
with these seizures often perform poorly in school.
The anticonvulsant drugs ethosuximide ( Zarontin ), valproic acid (Depakote,
Depakene), and lamotrigine ( Lamictal ) are all used to treat the disorder, but
there is no consensus on which drug is best for the initial treatment of
children experiencing absence seizures.
Source: WebMD
Psychiatrist will be back in spotlight for Michael Riley trial
10.03.10
Dr. Kayoko Kifuji was in the spotlight at Carolyn Riley’s trial, and she’ll be on the stand again during the trial of Riley’s husband, Michael.
In his opening statement, Michael Riley’s attorney, John Darrell, made it clear that he is ready to put the Tufts Medical Center psychiatrist at the center of the Riley children’s medical treatment and Rebecca Riley’s death.
At one point unintentionally referring to Kifuji as “Doctor Clonidine,” Darrell told Michael Riley’s jury, “She gave an unapproved drug to a child with no real guidance (to the parents).”
That, he said, is “the crime we ought to be here for today.”
Darrell was referring to the widespread use of clonidine for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, even though the blood pressure medication is not specifically approved for ADHD and has not been tested in clinical trials with youngsters.
Kifuji voluntarily gave up her medical license when the Rileys were charged with murder in 2007.
Source: The Patriot Ledger
Depakote was introduced several years later and is also used to treat other seizure disorders, bipolar disorder, and migraines. Approved for the treatment
Depakote is an anti-convulsant known as valproate semisodium or divalproex sodium, which is used to treat epilepsy and manic episodes of bipolar disorder.
She prescribes clonidine and Depakote. January-June 2006, September-November 2006: Rebecca is a student at Elden Johnson Early Childhood Center in North