The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 275 No 7359 p108
23 July 2005

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Withdraw antiepileptic drugs slowly to avoid complications

All patients who stop taking antiepileptic drugs should do so gradually to avoid withdrawal complications, suggest researchers.

During a clinical trial, an 80-year-old woman taking pregabalin for postherpetic neuralgia developed neurological symptoms after abruptly discontinuing the drug.

The symptoms were similar to those seen when patients with epilepsy stop treatment too abruptly. The study was published online in Annals of Neurology.