Impact of Withdrawal of Antiepileptic Medication on the Duration of Focal Onset Seizures

Presurgical evaluation in the epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) is challenged by the need to record enough seizures in a limited number of days. Thus, it is well accepted to partially or totally withdraw AEDs in the EMU to precipitate seizures, more so as it is unlikely to influence the localizing significance of the recorded seizures [1–5]. AED withdrawal is typically associated with an increase in seizure frequency and generalization rate [6–9]. The increase in seizure frequency and generalized seizures correlates with the taper rate and is more pronounced for carbamazepine and oxcarbazepine than for other AEDs like phenytoin, valproate or lamotrigine [6,7,10].

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