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Growth hormone response to diazepam, clonidine and glucagon in patients with epilepsy
P M Crawford1, P Belchetz, C Davis
1Mersey Regional Centre for Medical and Surgical Neurology, Walton Hospital, Liverpool, U.K.
Abstract:
The differing actions of phenytoin, carbamazepine and sodium valproate on growth hormone release were studied in 20 patients with recently diagnosed epilepsy using diazepam, clonidine and glucagon as stimulatory tests of growth hormone response. The results are compared with the growth hormone response obtained pre treatment, and those from 20 control patients and 11 patients with chronic treated epilepsy. There was a reduction in growth hormone response to diazepam in both treated and untreated patients with epilepsy compared to controls. Treatment with phenytoin resulted in a significant increase in growth hormone release after diazepam and glucagon, whilst sodium valproate reduced the growth hormone response to diazepam.