EFFECTIVENESS OF SIMPLIFIED DOSAGE SCHEDULES ON THE MANAGEMENT OF AMBULANT EPILEPTIC PATIENTS

The effect of dosage schedules on plasma drug levels was evaluated in two groups of ambulant epileptic patients, whose treatment with diphenylhydantoin (DPH) or phenobarbital (PB) had been simplified by reducing the daily frequency of the dosage regimens. Although the patients received the same milligram per kilogram daily dosages of DPH or PB during the study, the mean plasma levels of the two drugs were significantly higher during the less-frequent dosage regimens. The results obtained suggest that twice-daily dosage schedules of DPH and once-daily dosage schedules of PB are advantageous over more complicated dosage schedules resulting in a higher compliance among ambulant epileptic patients.