Convulsions agents Epilepsy

Hypomania Hypomania has been the most common severe psychiatric side effect reported. This has been largely limited to patients in whom disorders characterized by hyperkinetic symptoms coexist with, but are obscured by, depressive affect. Diabetes There is conflicting evidence as to whether MAOIs affect glucose metabolism or potentiate hypoglycemic agents. Consider this if used in diabetics. Epilepsy The effect of MAOIs on the convulsive threshold may vary. Do not use with metrizamide discontinue MAOl 48 hours or more prior to myelography and resume 24 hours postprocedure. 

Anti-epileptic. An agent that combats the convulsions or seizures of epilepsy. 

Tiagabine is a drug that inhibits the reuptake of GABA from the synapse, and it has been used to treat epilepsy as well as other convulsant disorders. Because GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, its prolonged presence can block neurotransmission by other agents, thereby reducing the frequency of convulsions. 

B. Convulsions. All three drugs can be used for the treatment of acute seizure activity or status epilepticus resulting from idiopathic epilepsy or convulsant drug overdose. Midazolam and lorazepam have the advantage of rapid absorption after intramuscular injection. Lorazepam also has a longer duration of anticonvulsant action than the other two agents. 

Epilepsy is a disorder characterized by recurrent spontaneous electrical discharges within the brain which are manifested by clinical seizures. Four million patients in the United States are afflicted with this ailment 20% of these have seizures that cannot be controlled sufficiently with existing medications to permit normal activities of everyday life. The market for anticonvulsants is substantial a historical growth rate of 10 to 12% is expected to be sustained thereafter. Epileptic seizures can be classified as primary epilepsies (35%) or partial epilepsies (65%). Primary epilepsies (generalized convulsions) can be controlled with valproate (Depakote), carbamazepine (Tegretol), phenytoin (Dilantin), or phenobarbi-tol. Most partial epilepsies have resisted control with chemotherapeutic agents. 

Coyle et aL, 1981). For example, ibotenic acid in doses of 10-20 nmol causes an extensive lesion of the injected hippocampal formation without causing seizures, whereas 140 nmol of iV-methyl-D-aspartate precipitates severe seizures but causes small lesions restricted to the hippocampal formation. Nevertheless, the convulsant and neurotoxic properties of kainic acid, at least within the limbic system, suggest that kainate may prove to be a particularly useful agent for probing basic mechanisms involved in epilepsy. 

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