ASSESSMENT OF PRESCRIBING PATTERN OF ANTIEPILEPTICS IN PAEDIATRIC IN-PATIENTS OF A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

Purpose: To study the prescribing pattern of AEDs for a different type of seizures in the pediatric population and disease conditions other than epilepsy and to identify the drug interactions with the use of AEDs among the study population. Methods: This six months long prospective observational study was conducted at in-patient wards of JSS Hospital. The case sheets of all in-patients were reviewed daily and enrolled the patient’s who met the study criteria. Enrolled children were followed until discharge to identify the usage pattern of AEDs and other drug therapy and any drug interactions involved in the use of AEDs. Results: Total number of the study population was 294, and the mean age of the study population was 8.64 ± 3.7 years, and the majority of the then were infants [1 month – 1 year (35.03%)], followed by toddlers [1-2 years (32.6%)]. In our study, the majority of children were on monotherapy (64.96%) followed by dual therapy (26.53%). Clobazam was the highly prescribed drug as monotherapy (39.79%), and fosphenytoin + clobazam was majorly used dual therapy (26.92%) combination. A total of 39 treatment charts had AED – AED interactions, but none of those were clinically significant. Conclusion: Among the study population, only 64.96% responded to monotherapy while others required combination therapy due to the seizure type and co-morbid conditions. We couldn’t identify any drug-related problems among the study population as the AED therapy was more judicious and wherever necessary the pediatricians have taken the advice of neurologists to avoid any errors.