The ultimate goal of epilepsy treatment is to become seizure free and live a healthy life without the need to take antiepileptic drugs may cause several tricky and sometimes serious side-effects. There is no class I evidence that is based on randomized double-blind trials for withdrawal of antiepileptic’s in adults who become seizure-free while taking such drugs. Whether or not antiepileptic drugs should be withdrawn after a patient has been seizure-free is a challenging concern for several years. Certain studies advise that the total risk of seizure recurrence is approximately 30%, if treatment is withdrawn. The clinical factors associated with a greater chance of successful withdrawal include childhood onset epilepsy, monotherapy, being seizure-free for more than two years, a normal electroencephalogram prior to drug withdrawal, normal neuroimaging and normal intellect. Withdrawal should be gradual and take place over roughly 6 months. Several useful review articles, guidelines and meta-analyses have been published on the subject of antiepileptic drug withdrawal. Tapering the dose play an essential role in withdrawal of an antiepileptic drug.
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