Antiseizure Drugs

Antiseizure medications, also known as anticonvul-sants and antiepileptics, treat seizure disorders by decreasing abnormally high levels of brain activity. Various types of seizures exist. The most easily recognized are tonic-clonic seizures, also known as grand mal seizures, with significant muscle activity, loss of consciousness, and often loss of bowel and bladder control. A second type of seizure is absence seizures, which lead to temporary, sometimes brief losses of consciousness and postural tone. Myoclonic seizures are characterized by muscle jerks. These three types are known as generalized seizures because of their widespread effect in the brain. The other category of seizures is called partial, because they involve only one portion of the brain. Partial seizures are further divided into either complex, if they cause loss of ...