While the precise way Aptiom® (eslicarbazepine acetate) works is not known, here's what we do know. When a brain cell—or neuron—fires, a brain signal must pass through voltage-gated sodium ion channels, which have 3 different states. The first state is called resting; the second is called open; and the third is called inactivated. During a seizure when neurons are firing rapidly, the channels spend more time in the inactivated state. APTIOM has been shown to work preferentially on the inactivated state of the channels, the state more prevalent when a seizure is likely to occur. APTIOM is thought to bind to the inactivated state, so it may help reduce seizure-causing activity.*
*The precise way APTIOM works is not known.
Seizures can occur at any time, and APTIOM, taken once daily as an add-on treatment, may help reduce the frequency of partial-onset seizures. Naturally, before you or your loved one considers any treatment option, it’s important to talk to your doctor.
Getting medication to where it needs to be is of utmost importance in the treatment of epilepsy. The goal of treatment is to inhibit abnormally firing brain cells, which may result in fewer partial-onset seizures.*