Modification in body weight associated with antiepileptic drugs

• Autor(a) principal: Gaspari,Camilla N. De
• Data de Publicação: 2010
• Outros Autores: Guerreiro,Carlos A.M.
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Arquivos de neuro-psiquiatria (Online)
• Texto Completo: http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0004-282X2010000200024
• topic: epilepsy; antiepileptic drugs; dietary habits; body weight

Antiepileptic drugs (AED) may cause body weight changes. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the dietary habits and body weight associated with AED in epileptic patients. METHOD: Sixty-six patients were subjected to two interviews, and had their weight and body mass index calculated and compared at both times, interval between six to eight months. RESULTS: It was observed that 59.1% showed weight gain. The patients who had no weight gain had a greater proportion of individuals who engaged in some form of physical activity. However, of the 45 patients who maintained their initial dietary and medication pattern, 75.6% recorded a weight gain. Weight gain was seen in 66.7% of patients on carbamazepine (n=18), 60% on valproate (n=5), 50% on carbamazepine+clobazam treatment (n=14), and 58.3% of patients on other(s) polytherapy (n=12). CONCLUSION: The patient should be alerted to possible weight gain, and should be advised about dieting and participating in regular physical activity.