ANTIEPILEPTIC DRUG STATUS IN ADULT OUTPATIENTS WITH MENTAL-RETARDATION

Charts of 100 patients with mental retardation and epilepsy from the c ommunity were reviewed to survey use of antiepileptic drugs and examin e the relation of mental retardation and seizure type to antiepileptic drug status. Sixty patients were on monotherapy and 40, on two or thr ee antiepileptic drugs. Most subjects bad generalized tonic-clonic sei zures (68%), but there was a trend for those with profound retardation to have relatively more mixed seizures. Subjects on more than one ant iepileptic drug were less likely to have fully controlled seizures (50 %). Individuals with mixed seizures were comparatively more likely to be on more than one antiepileptic drug and have uncontrolled seizures. Implications for clinical management of epilepsy in adults with menta l retardation were discussed.