Adverse effects of carbamazepine monotherapy among patients in Nigeria: a pilot study and implications

Abstract

Abstract.Background and aims: Antiepileptic drugs do cause adverse effects, affecting quality of life, adherence and seizures. Consequently, need to study this among Nigerian patients. Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study assessing the extent of adverse effects with carbamazepine monotherapy and potential factors. Results: 54 patients (64.3 %) reported no adverse effects, while 30 did. Commonest adverse effects were memory problems followed by headaches, restlessness, tiredness and depression. Adverse effects were significantly higher in females, with females with low educational levels having significantly higher rates. Dose, co-medications, seizure control and comorbid conditions did not significantly affect adverse effects. Conclusions: Perception of adverse effects was common in patients on carbamazepine monotherapy, more common in women than men. Educational status was important in women. IntroductionEpilepsy is a chronic neurological condition that affects between 65 to 70million people worldwide [1,2], with drug therapy the mainstay of the treatment. It is estimated that 70% of patients will respond to the medicines prescribed whilst the remainder will need surgery and other forms of therapy to achieve seizure control [2,3,4].

Adverse Drug Reaction in People With Epilpsy

“…There was significant association between drug adherence, duration, duration of AEDs, and epileptiform pattern with mean LEAP score of 45. 25…”

“…Epilepsy is a major public health with serious physical, social and psychological consequences that relies heavily on antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), adherence to medication to achieve to seizure remission and improve quality of life while avoiding unwanted side-effects. (Abou-Khalil, 2016; Fadare et al, 2018;George et al, 2015;Lyseng-Williamson, 2011;Olusanya et al, 2017)In a systematic review among developing countries to determine magnitude, causes, and possible intervention strategies, the overall estimated Treatment Gap (TG) was 56/100. (Nwani et al, 2013) Inadequate skilled manpower, cost of treatment, cultural beliefs, unavailability of AEDs were some of the identified reason for the relatively high TG.…”

“…(Abou-Khalil, 2016;Goodman et al, 2015;Roy et al, 2016)In a study to access the extent of ADR of CBZ and its potential associated factors, memory, headache, restlessness, tiredness and depression were most frequently reported ADR and identified female gender, lower level of formal education has factors associated with ADR (Olusanya et al, 2017). Nasopharyngitis, agitation, hyperkinetic muscle activity, outburst of anger, agitation has been associated with ADR of LVC (Bates et al, 1995;Belcastro et al, 2008;Joshi et al, 2017)…”

In vitro comparative quality evaluation of different brands of carbamazepine tablets commercially available in Dessie town, Northeast Ethiopia

“…Drug therapy is the mainstay of the treatment; it is estimated that 70% of patients will respond to the medicines prescribed, while the remainder will need surgery and other forms of therapy to achieve seizure control. Adverse effects are contributors to poor drug compliance, which can be as high as 30–50% of adults living with epilepsy, resulting in a low quality of life and dropouts from drug therapy [ 3 ].…”

Evaluation of Phytochemical Constituents and Antifungal Properties of Different Solvent Extracts of the Leaf of Acalypha godseffiana Mull Arg

“…About 50 million people are affected globally, and majority of those affected are from sub-Saharan African countries like Nigeria (2). Over the past years, several drugs have been developed for the management of epilepsy, each with its unique antiepileptic property and adverse effect profile, but about half of patients continue to experience side effects because of therapy (3)(4)(5)(6).…”