Can adults with epilepsy use Vigabatrin/vigabatrin?

Although Vigabatrin/vigabatrin's earliest indications focus on the treatment of infantile spasms, it also has clear use scenarios in the management of adult epilepsy, especially in adults with refractory focal epilepsy. Vigabatrin may be an effective adjunctive treatment option for many adults with refractory epilepsy, especially those who cannot achieve good control despite treatment with multiple antiepileptic drugs.

The mechanism of using Vigabatrin in adults is the same as that in children. It inhibitsGABA transaminase and increases the level of GABA in the brain, thereby inhibiting abnormal discharge activities in the cerebral cortex. Particularly in epilepsy patients with concomitant psychobehavioral problems, mood disorders, or a background of drug dependence, Vigabatrin can in some cases improve overall neurobehavioral performance. However, special attention should be paid to the fact that there are certain limiting factors for the use of Vigabatrin in adults. One of the main adverse reactions is visual field loss. This kind of irreversible retinal damage has a high risk. Therefore, patients using this drug in European and American countries need to undergo strict vision monitoring and undergo regular visual field tests and retinal function tests.

In addition, other side effects that Vigabatrin may cause include drowsiness, behavioral changes, weight gain, mood swings, etc., especially when combined with psychotropic drugs, caution should be taken. Although Vigabatrin has not been widely introduced for the treatment of adult epilepsy in mainland China, in overseas countries, especially the United States, Europe and Canada, it has become routine clinical practice for adult patients to use this drug under professional guidance. Therefore, for adult patients with refractory focal epilepsy, vigabatrin can be tried as a complementary treatment option under physician evaluation when multi-drug combination therapy fails or is ineffective.

Reference materials:https://www.sabril.net/