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. 2025 Aug 5;18(1):2540786.
doi: 10.1080/20523211.2025.2540786. eCollection 2025.

Exploring the relationship of complementary therapy use and medication adherence among patients with epilepsy

Siti Nor Aqilah Mohd Noor  1 , Nurul Afiedia Roslim  2 , Shazia Jamshed  3 , Chiau Ming Long  4 , Umar Idris Ibrahim  1 , Ahmad Kamal Ariffin Abdul Jamil  1 , Nurulumi Ahmad  1 , Aslinda Jamil  1 , Kheng Seang Lim  5 , Mazlina Husin  6 , Khairul Azmi Ibrahim  6 , Norsima Nazifah Sidek  6 , Sulaila Basiam  7 , Saidatul Manera Mohd Daud  8 , Rose Izura Abdul Hamid  8 , Pei Lin Lua  1
Affiliations

Exploring the relationship of complementary therapy use and medication adherence among patients with epilepsy

Siti Nor Aqilah Mohd Noor et al. J Pharm Policy Pract. .

Abstract

Background: Complementary and alternative therapies (CATs) are widely used among patients with epilepsy (PWE), yet their impact on adherence to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) remains limited and unclear. This study aimed to (i) assess the usage, knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) related to CATs and (ii) evaluate their impact on AEDs adherence among PWE.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 193 PWE, recruited conveniently from three hospitals on the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Participants' data were collected through face-to-face administration of paper-based questionnaires, including a KAP-CATs and the Malaysia Medication Adherence Scale (MALMAS). The SPSS version 26.0 was used to perform descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests.

Results: Among the participants (mean age = 35.3 ± 12.6 years; female = 54.9%; Malay = 96.9%), 59.6% reported had used some types of CATs, with prayers (86.4%) and massage (78.8%) being the most common. Most participants demonstrated moderate knowledge (61.6%), neutral attitudes (78.6%) and a moderate engagement in CATs practices (47.6%). Common reasons for using CATs included greater availability (54.9%), belief in self-healing (45.6%) and the perception of a permanent cure (44.6%). Notably, only 28.5% of CATs users disclosed their use to a healthcare provider. The prevalence of non-adherence to AEDs was 22.8%, and no statistically significant association was found between usage, knowledge, attitude and practice regarding CATs and non-adherence to AEDs (p > 0.05).

Conclusion: The findings highlight widespread use of CATs among PWE, often driven by cultural beliefs and perceived benefits. Thus, further research is warranted to explore integrative care models that ensure safe, coordinated epilepsy management.

Keywords: Epilepsy; antiepileptic drugs; attitudes and practices; complementary and alternative therapies; knowledge; medication adherence.

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Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

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