Choosing an antiepileptic drug. The case for individualized treatment.

The range of drugs available for seizure control is broad, but selection of the drug and the dosage most likely to be effective for an individual patient is complex. In general, drug choice is determined by type of seizures involved and total daily dosage is based on milligrams per kilogram, so that plasma levels for all patients can be easily interpreted. Optimal seizure control is often possible with use of a single drug; in fact, in most patients with epilepsy, single-drug therapy is more effective than multiple-drug therapy and more desirable.