Antiepileptic drug utilization in out-patients--a prescribing pattern study.

Antiepileptic drug utilization for the treatment of different epileptic seizures had been investigated for 10 years in Bulgaria (1985-1994). The data were collected from ambulatory cards of 10,132 epileptic out-patients as well as from pharmacists' sales records. The results were expressed in DDD/1,000 inhabitants/year. During the period 1985-1989 the drug mostly prescribed had been phenobarbital both in mono- and polytherapy, but during the second period (1990-1994) it had been replaced to a high extent by carbamazepine and valproates. Polytherapy had given up its place to monotherapy in all forms of epileptic seizures during the 10-year period of investigation.