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Epilepsy Drugs Double Suicide Risks

Keywords: Epilepsy| Suicide | Lawsuit | Lawyer | Felbatol | Neurontin | Lamictal | Keppra | Depakote

On January 31, 2008, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) warned that people taking epilepsy drugs were twice as likely to suffer from suicidal thoughts and behavior as those taking a placebo. Millions of people take epilepsy drugs. Such anti-seizure medications are used for a variety of illnesses in addition to epilepsy, including migraines, certain nerve-pain disorders, and psychiatric diseases such as bipolar disorder that themselves carry a risk of suicide. The FDA said it would be working with manufacturers of marketed epilepsy drugs to include this new information about suicide risks in the labeling for these products

FDA Epilepsy Drug Suicide Study

The FDA began investigating if epilepsy drugs pose any suicide risk in 2005.  In doing so, the FDA analyzed almost 200 studies of 11 anti-seizure drugs, some that have been on the market for decades.  Even though the FDA only looked at 11 epilepsy medications, the agency said the suicide warning applied to all epilepsy drugs.  The FDA epilepsy drug analysis included the following drugs

The FDA studies tracked almost 28,000 people given epilepsy medications and another 16,000 given dummy pills.  According to the FDA, 0.43 percent of drug-treated patients experienced suicidal thoughts or behavior, compared with 0.22 percent of placebo-takers.  The higher risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors was observed at one week after starting a drug and continued to at least 24 weeks. The results were generally consistent among all the different drug products studied and were seen in all demographic subgroups. There was no clear pattern of risk across age groups.

Overall, four people in the drug-treated groups committed suicide, and none in the placebo groups.  According to the FDA for every 1,000 patients, about two more patients taking epilepsy drugs experienced suicidal thoughts than those who took placebo.

Legal Help

If you or a loved one suffered from thoughts and/or behavior while taking epilepsy drugs, you may have valuable legal rights.  Please fill out the form at the right for a free case evaluation by a qualified drug side effects attorney.

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Epilepsy Drugs Linked to Birth Defects

Dec 7, 2009 | Parker Waichman Alonso LLP
A new study of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) has found that pregnant women taking such medications were more likely to give birth to children with certain birth defects.  The AEDs birth defect study,  which was recently presented at the 62nd Annual Meeting of the American Epilepsy Society, found that valproate was strongly associated with an increased risk of birth defects, while other AEDs such as lamotrigine and carbamazepine also showed an increased risk.To compare different AEDs with...

Valproate Raises Risk of Neural Tube Defects, Other Birth Defects, FDA Says

Dec 3, 2009 | Parker Waichman Alonso LLP
Valproate has been associated with a higher risk of neural tube defects and other major birth defects, such as craniofacial defects and cardiovascular malformations, when taken by pregnant women.  In a reminder to health care providers, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) said women of childbearing potential should only use valproate if it is essential to manage their medical condition.Women not actively planning a pregnancy should use effective contraception if they are taking...

Another Valproate Study Sees Problems for Developing Fetus

Jul 22, 2009 | Parker Waichman Alonso LLP
Children exposed to valproate in-utero may exhibit  lower IQs as toddlers than children whose mothers took other epilepsy drugs, according to the results of an interim study conducted by scientists at the University of Liverpool.Valproate is an  epilepsy drug sold under the brand names Depacon and Depakene.  In the past, various studies have raised concerns about the safety of valproate during pregnancy.  Just last December, we reported that a British study had found that...

Suicide Warnings Approved for Epilepsy Drugs

May 6, 2009 | Parker Waichman Alonso LLP
Federal regulators have approved new suicide warnings for more than two dozen epilepsy drugs.  The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) had ordered the label update last December, when it issued a public-health advisory regarding the association between epilepsy drugs and suicidal thoughts and behavior.The new suicide warnings will appear on the labeling of Carbatrol, Celontin, Depakene, Depakote ER, Depakote sprinkles, Depakote tablets, Dilantin, Equetro, Felbatol, Gabitril, Keppra,...

Valproate Shouldn't be Taken by Pregnant Women, Medical Groups Say

Apr 28, 2009 | Parker Waichman Alonso LLP
The epilepsy drug valproate (Depacon) should not be taken by pregnant women, according to new guidelines issued by American Academy of Neurology and the American Epilepsy Society.  According to a report on medpagetoday.com, the groups have also recommended that expectant mothers who need them take only one epilepsy medication at a time.The groups, which published the new guidelines simultaneously in the journals Neurology and Epilepsia, said that in general, epileptic women can have safe...

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