Felbamate and meprobamate: a comparison of their anticonvulsant properties

The anticonvulsant effect of felbamate and meprobamate were compared in a series of models for seizure activity and regarding their neurotoxic action. In the MES test, felbamate was active below neurotoxic doses. Meprobamate had an ED50 in the range of neurotoxic doses. The s.c. PTZ test was influenced by meprobamate in a fairly low dosage (ED50 66 mg/kg), but for felbamate no clearly dose-related effect could be shown up to 150 mg/kg. Reflex epilepsy in gerbils was stronger suppressed by meprobamate (ED50 34 mg/kg) than by felbamate (ED50 63 mg/kg). In amygdala kindled rats, meprobamate proved to be the most active compound, both regarding treatment of fully kindled rats, development of kindling and independent discharges from a mirror focus (secondary epileptogenesis), which were fully suppressed by oral treatment with 80 mg/kg for 30 days. Both drugs were weakly effective in a model for absence epilepsy in rats. The unexpectedly high activity of meprobamate justifies a second look at the anticonvulsant properties of the drug, especially since it was extensively used as an anxiolytic drug in the past with few obvious serious side effects.