Comparative Efficacy of Zonisamide and Pregabalin as an Adjunctive Therapy in Children with Refractory Epilepsy

OBJECTIVE: Approximately one third of epileptic children are resistant to anticonvulsant drugs. This study evaluates the effectiveness, safety, and tolerability of pregabalin as adjunctive therapy in epileptic children relative to Zonisamide. MATERIALS & METHODS: From April 2012 to November 2012,121 children were referred to Mofid Children’s Hospital with intractable epilepsy and enrolled in the study. The patients were divided into two groups (A and B) randomly. Group A was treated with Zonisamide and group B was treated with Pregabalin in addition to prior medication. We assessed seizure frequency and severity during a 4-week interval from the beginning of the drug treatment and compared the efficacy of each in these two groups. RESULTS: Group A consists of 61 patients, 26 (42.6%) girls, and35 (57.4%) boys with an age range from 1.5 months–14 years (mean, 73.9± 44.04 months). Group B consists of 60 patients, 31(51.7%) girls, 29 (48.3%) boys with an age range from 6 months–16 years (mean, 71±42.9 months). Age, gender, seizure onset, seizure frequency, seizure type, and previous antiepileptic medications showed that there was no significant difference between the groups (P>0.05). Zonisamide and pregabalin reduced more than 50% of seizure intensity in 40.2%; 45.8% of patients also had a seizure frequency decline between35.8–44.4%, respectively and there was no significant superiority between these two novel anticonvulsants (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: In this survey both pregabalin and Zonisamide were impressive for seizure control in children with intractable epilepsy and well sustained with mild complications that were completely reversible.