Antiepileptic drug treatment: outcomes and adherence.

The goal in treating patients with epilepsy is a cost-effective approach to the elimination of seizures or a reduction in their number and frequency while avoiding drug interactions and side effects, so as to achieve the best possible quality of life. Among the desirable outcomes are an enhanced understanding of epilepsy by patients, caregivers, and society, and a lessening of the psychosocial risks of this disease. Patients fail to achieve their goals and outcomes when they fail to adhere to the drug regimen or when a less-than-adequate drug regimen is prescribed. To help improve adherence, once- or twice-daily formulations should be used. New antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) increase the possibility of effective treatment for a patient who initially fails therapy. Working together, patients and clinicians can maximize the effectiveness of AED therapy and the potential for achieving desired goals and outcomes.