[Rational choice of antiepileptic treatment]

The choice of the adequate antiepileptic treatment is based on the clinical experience more than rationality. During some decades, the combination of two antiepileptic drugs was considered the initial treatment but monotherapy showed more advantages (effectiveness, fewer adverse events, fewer teratogenic effects and better compliance). New antiepileptic drugs have increased our interest and knowledge of the epilepsies. They have changed some of our therapeutical schemes. Sodium valproate continues to be considered the choice treatment for all the idiopathic, cryptogenic and symptomatic generalized epilepsies. Lamotrigine and topiramate are two valid alternatives in these epileptic syndromes. In West's syndrome vigabatrin is considered the initial treatment. Carbamacepine, vigabatrine and tiagabine are not indicated in the treatment of generalized idiopathic epilepsies especially in patients with absence seizures. In focal epilepsies, both cryptogenic and symptomatic all the antiepileptic drugs have shown efficacy and the choice treatment is based on the adverse events and the teratogenic power. Prospective studies in patients with the same type of seizures and epileptic syndromes will allow us to determine the more adequate antiepileptic treatment.