Abstract
Lacosamide is a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)–approved antiepileptic drug for
patients 17 years or older with partial epilepsy. There are sparse data on children. The
objective of our study was to evaluate its efficacy/safety in children with refractory epilepsy.
Forty children (mean age 14.3 years) were treated with lacosamide at our institution
(adjunctive therapy in 36, monotherapy in 4). Fifteen patients had symptomatic focal
epilepsy, 2 had cryptogenic focal epilepsy, 20 had symptomatic generalized epilepsy, and 3
had cryptogenic generalized epilepsy. Two had juvenile myoclonic epilepsy and 5 had
Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. Forty-two percent had at least >50% reduction in seizure
frequency, and 6 became seizure free. Average dose was 7 mg/kg/d and average follow-up
was 9.2 months. Responders had a 76.5% mean decrease in seizures. Fifteen children
experienced an adverse reaction and 7 discontinued lacosamide (4: Ineffective, I: insurance
denial, 1: tremor, 1: behavior). Lacosamide is effective and well-tolerated in children with
refractory epilepsy.