CHANGES IN ANTIEPILEPTIC DRUG REGIMEN AND BEHAVIOR IN CHILDREN WITH EPILEPSY

Two groups of children with epilepsy, undergoing an increase and decrease in their antiepileptic drug regimens, respectively, were assessed on the Conners Parent Symptom Questionnaire (CPSQ). This was administered prior to and at 6 months following the change in drug regimen. These subjects were further compared with a group of children who experienced no change in their antiepileptic medication over the course of the study, and a normal control group. Intragroup comparisons showed that both the increase and decrease groups demonstrated a significant decrease in Total Score on the CPSQ. The increase group improved on the Psychomatic Factor, whereas the decrease group improved on the Conduct Problem, Anxiety, Impulsive-Hyperactive, and Learning Problem factors. Intergroup comparisons of change scores showed that there were significantly greater improvements over time for the experimental groups than the normal control group. For the increase group, these were seen for the Psychosomatic and Muscular Tension factors and for the decrease group for the Conduct Problem factor. A decrease in drug dose is likely to be beneficial with respect to antisocial and inappropriate behaviours, whereas an increase in dose improves physical well-being. The results of this study highlight the multifactorial nature of behaviour.