Anticonvulsants are broken up into different classes based upon chemical structure, how they work in the brain or how your liver deals with them.

In the US market we have the following valproates:
• Depakote (divalproex sodium)
• Depakene (valproic acid),
• and the rarely used (but much more popular overseas) Depacon (valproate sodium or sodium valproate).
It should be noted that valproic acid is not the generic for Depakote. These three meds are very closely related chemically, and are often lumped together as the same med. But they aren't really.

Next up are the Enzyme Inducing Anti-Epileptic Drugs, or EIAEDs. A family of meds that produce similar effects on the liver, and wildly different results in the brain. They are grouped together though because of important drug-drug interactions with other meds, including other anticonvulsants, antidepressants, antipsychotics, and other medications. The drugs in this family include:
• Dilantin (phenytoin)
• Luminal (phenobarbital)
• Tegretol / Carbatrol (carbamazepine)
• Trileptal (oxcarbazepine)
Only the last two work in similar ways in the brain and chemically related and a patient can easily swithch between Tegretol and Trileptal without too much trouble. Dilantin is also classed as a Hydantoin, along with Cerebyx.

Then there are the GABA analogues. These meds are basically fake GABA, a neurotransmitter critical to treating epilepsy, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder and a variety of other issues. Gabitril isn't really a GABA analogue, but it gets classified as such because all it does is potent GABA reuptake inhibition and absolutely nothing else. No voltage channel modification, no messing with glutamate or kainate.
• Neurontin (gabapentin)
• Gabitril (tiagabine)
Technically the benzodiazepines are also anticonvulsants, and while they have their place in treating both epilepsy and bipolar disorder, they have a section of their own.

A couple meds we may or may not cover are the Succinimides - Celontin and Zarontin. These are kind of last resort meds for absence and partial seizures. As they are new it is rather difficult to find information about them.

That leaves all the other anticonvulsants:
• Felbatol (felbamate)
• Lyrica (pregablin)
• Keppra (levetiracetam)
• Lamictal (lamotrigine)
• Mysoline (primodone) (withdrawn from most markets, good luck finding it)
• Topamax (topiramate)
• Zonegran (zonisamide)

Tags: anticonvulsants, antiepileptic, gabapentin, neurontin, topamax.

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