United States: Researchers have published a new analysis detailing some major procedures that may be performed to lower the risk of potentially lethal responses to anti-seizure drugs.
Risk Reduction Strategies
Researchers found that reducing response risk for medications that millions of Americans use for epilepsy and other disorders may be accomplished by blood testing, questioning patients about risk factors, and changing doses.
Results indicate that rashes and skin responses in recently prescribed patients still need to be treated promptly.
Immediate Attention Required
According to research background notes, rashes with anti-seizure medications appear in 2% to 16% of patients, depending on the medication.
The researchers also found that about 5% of these rashes are indicative of a potentially fatal illness.
Recent FDA Warnings
The researchers pointed out that the FDA recently released a warning about the significant side effects of two anti-seizure medications: levetiracetam and clobazam.
Dr. Ram Mani, head of the adult epilepsy section at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey and principal researcher, stated, “Dangerous reactions are rare, but patients and caregivers should understand the risk and how to respond if side effects occur.”
In order to identify the various rashes and their causes, researchers examined and synthesized existing data on specific anti-seizure medications for the new paper, was shown recently in the journal Current Treatment Options in Neurology.
Research Insights
Researchers discovered that combinations between anti-seizure medications and other medications, as well as genetics, can raise a person’s likelihood of experiencing a severe rash.
Additionally, users are more vulnerable if they use aromatic anti-seizure medications like carbamazepine or phenobarbital or if their physicians quickly increase their medication’s dose.
Recognizing and Responding to Reactions
According to researchers, a common rash usually appears on the chest or limbs within two weeks of starting therapy as a flat rash or as pimples that resemble bee hives. After stopping the medication, this rash usually goes away on its own within a few weeks.
Severe skin disorders, however, are also uncommon. Hospitalization is frequently necessary for the treatment of Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis, which can result in fever, eye discomfort, and detached skin according to the data mentioned by HealthDay.
“Instead of waiting for rashes to go away, patients should properly got medical help if they develop,” researcher Dr. Cindy Wassef, an assistant professor of dermatology at Robert Wood Johnson Medical Institute, said. “They should call 911 or go to the emergency room if they have severe symptoms, such as a high fever, blisters, or skin pain,” but “if symptoms are minor, they can speak with their neurologist or primary care physician.”
Need for Improved Screening
According to Mani, several thousand people experience serious responses to anti-seizure medications annually. Take the effort to identify high-risk individuals and start them on low-risk medicines, and those numbers could rise.
According to a Rutgers press release, Mani stated, “I asked the more than 200 doctors in the room how frequently they perform the recommended HLA screening tests on indicated patients during my talk on this topic at the American Epilepsy Society Conference last year and only a handful raised their hands.” Thus, there is undoubtedly space for development in order to raise patient safety.