Anti-seizure medication (ASMs) also known as Anti-Epileptic Drugs (AEDs) are the main form of treatment for people living with epilepsy, with up to 70% (7 in 10 people) having their seizures controlled through this medication. ASMs work by stabilising the electrical activity of your brain.
In New Zealand there are approximately 20 ASMs are used to treat seizures but these are subject to change. The ASMs prescribed are often selected on the basis of the seizure type/s, age, gender and side effects. ASMs may be prescribed as tablets, syrups and liquids.
The ASMs may be referred to by the chemical name of the drug or the brand name (in brackets) given by the manufacturer.
Health Navigator NZ provides a summary of types of seizures, and the recommended medications associated with these.
Some of the commonly prescribed anti-seizure medication below are linked to this site.
- Acetazolamide
- Carbamazepine (Tegretol)
- Clobazam (Frisium)
- Clonazepam (Rivotril)
- Diazepam (Valium)
- Ethosuximide (Zarontin)
- Gabapentin (Neurontin)
- Lacosamide (Vimpat)
- Lamotrigine (Lamictal)
- Levetiracetam (Keppra)
- Midazolam
- Nitrazepam
- Oxcarbazepine
- Phenobarbital
- Phenytoin (Dilantin)
- Pregabalin (Lyrica)
- Primidone
- Sodium valproate (Epilim)
- Topiramate (Topamax)
- Vigabatrin (Sabril)
- Zonisamide (Zonegran)
There are also links to more medication factsheets at Healthinfo or go to Medsafe for Data sheets and Consumer Medicine information