[Treatment with anti-epileptic drugs--a survey of mentally handicapped adults]

Abstract

Type and frequency of anticonvulsive drug treatment have been analyzed in the case of 1154 mentally retarded adults. Compared with international studies, anticonvulsive drug prevalence is low and amounts to 23.0% in the institutionalized group and 11.9% in the noninstitutionalized. Anticonvulsive drug prevalence decreases significantly with increasing age. A comparison of the 1986 anticonvulsive medication with that of 1980 shows distinctly rarer prescription of phenytoin and phenobarbital, and a decrease in the treatment with three or more different anticonvulsants in favour of treatment with only one or two anticonvulsive drugs in 1986.