Children with epilepsy safe to come off drugs if seizures cease

The study, presented at the American Epilepsy Society’s annual meeting in Seattle, found that children withdrawn from anti-seizure drugs were generally not at risk from developing intractable epilepsy.

The study, run by the Mayo Clinic, looked at the records of 241 children, aged between one month and 16 years who were first diagnosed with epilepsy between 1990 and 2000. Of these, 152 had been treated with anti-seizure drugs and had at least five years of follow-up.

Fifty-six children (37 per cent) of the 152 treated achieved seizure freedom and were withdrawn from medication. Only 5 per cent of these went on to develop intractable epilepsy.

Katherine Nickels, a paediatric neurologist who led the study, said: 'The risk of children developing intractable epilepsy after withdrawal of anti-seizure medication was only 5 per cent, which is similar to the risk of intractable epilepsy at the time of initial diagnosis of epilepsy in children.

'Therefore, the children who achieve seizure-freedom on anti-seizure medication should be considered for withdrawal without high risk of intractable epilepsy.'

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