Sunday, December 6, 2009

SSRIs May Prolong Seizure Duration but Shorten Post-Seizure Depression in Patients With Epilepsy: Presented at AES

Use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) appears to be associated with longer seizures in patients with epilepsy, confounding basic science results suggesting SSRIs reduce the frequency of epileptic seizures in animal models, according to a study presented here at the American Epilepsy Society (AES) 63rd Annual Meeting.

"What we found was not necessarily a causal relationship, but an association, between SSRI use and longer seizures," study presenter Eugen Trinka, MD, MSc, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria. "Based on our study, we cannot conclude that SSRIs prolong seizures." However, "doctors should use caution in using SSRIs in patients with epilepsy," Dr. Trinka added during his poster presentation held on December 5.

The study found that epilepsy seizures in those on SSRIs lasted a median 132 seconds, compared with 85 seconds in those not using SSRIs.

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