Epidemiological study of the frequency of prescribing antiepileptic drugs

This epidemiological study reviewed the frequency of prescribing antiepileptic drugs for the period 1982 to 1991 in four regions of Bulgaria. The study included 8,340 outpatients with epilepsy. The therapeutic approaches to primary generalized, focal, and secondary types of epilepsy were evaluated. The drug of preference in all types of epilepsy was found to be phenobarbital (26.3 to 37.8%), followed by carbamazepine (14.0 to 29.8%), bellonal, sacerno, phenytoin, etc. Valproate was prescribed only in a few cases (0 to 2.1%). Combinations of phenobarbital anc carbamazepine prevailed in the therapeutic approach to epilepsy. The share of polytherapy in the treatment of epilepsy tended to decrease in favour of monotherapy. The data on the antiepileptic drug utilization given in the present study are calculated in the internationally accepted unit, a daily defined dose.