Two thirds of patients weaned from anti epileptic drugs have remained seizure free, according to the biggest study of its kind on anti convulsants.
None of the thousand patients participating in the Medical Research Council’s anti convulsant withdrawal study group had a fit in the past two years.
The study concluded that the chances of remaining seizure free were directly related to the length of time since the last fit.
Those with the poorest reaction to drug withdrawal were patients who’d been taking more than one anti epileptic drug or had a history of neonatal seizures.
Nevertheless, the study cautioned that anyone whose livelihood or lifestyle depended on driving a car would be ill advised to stop treatment.