[Experiences in Great Britain with add-on therapy of epilepsy]

The new antiepileptic drugs represent a major part of the wider range of opportunities now available to treat epilepsy. Because of the way in which drugs are developed and the way in which product licences are granted, data sheet information does not necessarily reflect the optimum range of indications, dose escalation, maximum dose or degree of adverse events. Experience suggests that in most cases better results are obtained with slower dose escalations, and that often higher doses may be usefully achieved than those recommended in data sheets. All the new drugs are probably effective in monotherapy.