RT Book, Section A1 Pellock, John M. A2 Duchowny, Michael A2 Cross, J. Helen A2 Arzimanoglou, Alexis SR Print(0) ID 1138411988 T1 Antiepileptic Drugs: How to Choose T2 Pediatric Epilepsy YR 2017 FD 2017 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9780071496216 LK accesspediatrics.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1138411988 RD 2024/03/28 AB Following the diagnosis of epilepsy and making the decision to start a treatment, as discussed in the prior chapter, the clinician must choose the most appropriate initial medication. This decision requires knowledge of the clinical pharmacology of medications used for the treatment of epilepsy and an ability to individualize treatment to the child in question.1 The ultimate goal is complete control of seizures without producing adverse effects. Although the perfect drug does not exist, the current therapeutic armamentarium offers a broader range of choices than available ever before with each drug having some advantages and disadvantages. A single drug should be chosen so that the child is treated with monotherapy, which has the likelihood of producing the fewest number of side effects.2,3 The first issue in deciding upon initial therapy depends on seizure type. An appreciation of epilepsy syndrome is also extremely important, as it may select for or against an agent and may exacerbate seizure types, which have not been yet appreciated in the child.