%0 Journal Article
%T A Review of Eslicarbazepine Acetate for the Adjunctive Treatment of Partial-Onset Epilepsy
%A Rajinder P. Singh and Jorge J. Asconap¨¦
%J Journal of Central Nervous System Disease
%D 2012
%I 
%R 10.4137/JCNSD.S4888
%X Eslicarbazepine acetate (ESL) is a novel antiepileptic drug indicated for the treatment of partial-onset seizures. Structurally, it belongs to the dibenzazepine family and is closely related to carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine. Its main mechanism of action is by blocking the voltage-gated sodium channel. ESL is a pro-drug that is rapidly metabolized almost exclusively into S-licarbazepine, the biologically active drug. It has a favorable pharmacokinetic and drug-drug interaction profile. However, it may induce the metabolism of oral contraceptives and should be used with caution in females of child-bearing age. In the pre-marketing placebo-controlled clinical trials ESL has proven effective as adjunctive therapy in adult patients with refractory of partial-onset seizures. Best results were observed on a single daily dose between 800 and 1200 mg. In general, ESL was well tolerated, with most common dose-related side effects including dizziness, somnolence, headache, nausea and vomiting. Hyponatremia has been observed (0.6%¨C1.3%), but the incidence appears to be lower than with the use of oxcarbazepine. There is very limited information on the use of ESL in children or as monotherapy.
%U http://www.la-press.com/a-review-of-eslicarbazepine-acetate-for-the-adjunctive-treatment-of-pa-article-a2770