- Section 1 The Subject Matter of and Approach to Psychiatry
- 1.3 Psychiatry as a worldwide public health problem
- 1.4 The history of psychiatry as a medical specialty
- 1.5 Ethics and values
- 1.6 The psychiatrist as a manager
- 1.7 Descriptive phenomenology
- 1.8 Assessment
- 1.9 Diagnosis and classification
- 1.10 From science to practice
- Section 2 The Scientific Basis of Psychiatric Aetiology
- 2.3 The contribution of neurosciences
- 2.4 The contribution of genetics
- 2.5 The contribution of psychological science
- 2.6 The contribution of social sciences
- 2.7 The contribution of epidemiology to psychiatric aetiology
- Section 3 Psychodynamic Contributions to Psychiatry
- Section 4 Clinical Syndromes of Adult Psychiatry
- 4.4 Persistent delusional symptoms and disorders
- 4.5 Mood disorders
- 4.6 Stress-related and adjustment disorders
- 4.7 Anxiety disorders
- Section 5 Psychiatry and Medicine
- Section 6 Treatment Methods in Psychiatry
- 6.2 Somatic treatments
- 6.2.1 General principles of drug therapy in psychiatry
- 6.2.2 Anxiolytics and hypnotics
- 6.2.3 Antidepressants
- 6.2.4 Lithium and related mood stabilizers
- 6.2.5 Antipsychotic and anticholinergic drugs
- 6.2.6 Antiepileptic drugs
- 6.2.7 Drugs for cognitive disorders
- 6.2.8 Drugs used in the treatment of the addictions
- 6.2.9 Complementary medicines
- 6.2.10 Non-pharmacological somatic treatments
- 6.3 Psychological treatments
- 6.4 Treatment by other professions
- 6.5 Indigenous, folk healing practices
- Section 7 Social Psychiatry and Service Provision
- Section 8 The Psychiatry of Old Age
- Section 9 Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Antiepileptic drugs
- Chapter:
- Antiepileptic drugs
- Author(s):
Brian P. Brennan
and Harrison G. Pope Jr.
- DOI:
- 10.1093/med/9780199696758.003.0156
Several drugs originally developed to treat epilepsy have been found effective in certain psychiatric disorders. This chapter reviews the antiepileptic drugs most extensively studied in psychiatric disorders: valproate, carbamazepine, lamotrigine, and topiramate. We then briefly mention six other antiepileptics currently under investigation in various psychiatric disorders, but not yet extensively studied: gabapentin, oxcarbazepine, levetiracetam, tiagabine, zonisamide, and pregabalin. The antiepileptic drug phenytoin is rarely used in psychiatric disorders, and is therefore not included in this chapter. The benzodiazepines, which have antiepileptic properties, are also omitted here, as they are discussed in Chapter 6.2.2. We briefly list studies documenting the efficacy of these various agents in psychiatric disorders, but the reader is referred to the individual chapters on specific disorders for a more detailed discussion of treatment strategies.
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- Section 1 The Subject Matter of and Approach to Psychiatry
- 1.3 Psychiatry as a worldwide public health problem
- 1.4 The history of psychiatry as a medical specialty
- 1.5 Ethics and values
- 1.6 The psychiatrist as a manager
- 1.7 Descriptive phenomenology
- 1.8 Assessment
- 1.9 Diagnosis and classification
- 1.10 From science to practice
- Section 2 The Scientific Basis of Psychiatric Aetiology
- 2.3 The contribution of neurosciences
- 2.4 The contribution of genetics
- 2.5 The contribution of psychological science
- 2.6 The contribution of social sciences
- 2.7 The contribution of epidemiology to psychiatric aetiology
- Section 3 Psychodynamic Contributions to Psychiatry
- Section 4 Clinical Syndromes of Adult Psychiatry
- 4.4 Persistent delusional symptoms and disorders
- 4.5 Mood disorders
- 4.6 Stress-related and adjustment disorders
- 4.7 Anxiety disorders
- Section 5 Psychiatry and Medicine
- Section 6 Treatment Methods in Psychiatry
- 6.2 Somatic treatments
- 6.2.1 General principles of drug therapy in psychiatry
- 6.2.2 Anxiolytics and hypnotics
- 6.2.3 Antidepressants
- 6.2.4 Lithium and related mood stabilizers
- 6.2.5 Antipsychotic and anticholinergic drugs
- 6.2.6 Antiepileptic drugs
- 6.2.7 Drugs for cognitive disorders
- 6.2.8 Drugs used in the treatment of the addictions
- 6.2.9 Complementary medicines
- 6.2.10 Non-pharmacological somatic treatments
- 6.3 Psychological treatments
- 6.4 Treatment by other professions
- 6.5 Indigenous, folk healing practices
- Section 7 Social Psychiatry and Service Provision
- Section 8 The Psychiatry of Old Age
- Section 9 Child and Adolescent Psychiatry