Rescue therapies in epilepsy

Abstract

Purpose of reviewThe purpose of this review is to provide a succinct evaluation of the current rescue medications and action plans available to our patients with seizure clusters in the outpatient setting.Recent findingsThe main themes of the recent findings are that rescue medications and seizure action plans (SAPs) are underutilized, particularly in the adult population. The safety and efficacy of intranasal midazolam and intranasal diazepam is comparable with rectal diazepam for the treatment of seizure clusters. Additionally, this intranasal formulation has the benefit of a more socially acceptable route of administration and ease of use.SummaryThe implication of these findings is a greater variety and awareness in the rescue medications available to our patients suffering from seizure clusters.

Editorial: Seizure disorders: 2023 update

“…In this special issue on epilepsy and seizures, we cover several disparate areas of clinical care, concentrating on recent advances and practical applications for clinicians. There are several areas within epilepsy and seizures without a dedicated manuscript, not because they are less important, but because they were already reviewed recently in this journal; some examples include seizure clusters and acute rescue therapy in the outpatient setting [1], women's issues such as contraception and pregnancy [2], socioeconomic disparities [3], neuroimaging [4] and developmental and epileptic encephalopathies [5], although several of these topics are indeed discussed briefly in this issue. We do have eight superb manuscripts from renowned experts around the world.…”