Effects of antiepileptic drugs on abilities.

The selection of antiepileptic drugs depends not just on efficacy considerations but on psychological side effects, including their effects on abilities. In general, investigations show that antiepileptic drugs have slight to mild adverse effects on abilities. Of the major agents, carbamazepine is frequently associated with fewer of these effects. There are, however, a number of confounding factors which complicate the interpretation of these studies. These include procedures pertaining to subject selection, statistical analysis, seizures, co-medication, test selection, and the use of the active agent versus placebo study design. The importance of each of these factors is briefly discussed, with emphasis on their relevance to interpretation of existing studies.