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Forced normalisation precipitated by lamotrigine.

Clemens B

Kenézy Gyula Memorial Hospital, Department of Neurology, Epilepsy Centre, Bartók Béla út 3, 4031 Debrecen, Hungary. clemensb@freemail.hu

PURPOSE: To report two patients with lamotrigine-induced forced normalization (FN). METHODS: Evaluation of the patient files, EEG, and video-EEG records, with special reference to the parallel clinical and EEG changes before, during, and after FN. RESULTS: This is the first documented report of lamotrigine-induced FN. The two epileptic patients (one of them was a 10-year-old girl) were successfully treated with lamotrigine. Their seizures ceased and interictal epileptiform events disappeared from the EEG record. Simultaneously, the patients displayed de novo occurrence of psychopathologic manifestations and disturbed behaviour. Reduction of the daily dose of LTG led to disappearance of the psychopathological symptoms and reappearance of the spikes but not the seizures. CONCLUSIONS: Lamotrigine may precipitate FN in adults and children. Analysis of the cases showed that lamotrigine-induced FN is a dose-dependent phenomenon and can be treated by reduction of the daily dose of the drug.

Published 17 October 2005 in Seizure, 14(7): 485-9.
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