NO EVIDENCE FOR EFFICACY OF INTRATHECAL VERAPAMIL IN THE TREATMENT OF TONIC-CLONIC STATUS EPILEPTICUS

In two patients with refractory generalized tonic-clonic status epilepticus, 15 mg of the calcium antagonist verapamil was given by suboccipital intrathecal administration. During a 2-6-h observation period, seizure frequency did not decrease. However, in one patient, verapamil induced severe hypotension. Subsequent thiopental anesthesia suppressed convulsions immediately. Our results indicate that, in contradistinction to animal studies with different administration techniques, intrathecal administration of verapamil does not produce any anticonvulsant effect in humans.