The complexity of treatments for persons with epilepsy.

The purpose of this study was to describe the types of antiepileptic medication regimens and the types of actions required to take medications for a group of patients with epilepsy. The Epilepsy Medication and Treatment Complexity Index (EMTCI) was used to gather information about medications and treatments. The sample of 314 reported on 585 epilepsy medications. The majority (56%) were on more than one treatment. On average, an individual took 1.86 medications per day (range, 1-6) and 7.98 pills per day (range, 1-36 pills). Most medications (54%) were taken twice a day. The most common special instruction was taking different doses on the same day. Taking more than one tablet per dose was the most common administrative action. Data presented here raise interesting areas for further research as well as important clinical implications.