[The withdrawal of antiepileptic medication]

Discontinuation of anti-epileptic drugs in patients who have been seizure-free for several years is an important decision due to their toxicity, the long-term use of these drugs may have adverse effects on systemic and/or neurologic functions. The point is how to predict from among the patients those who will achieve remission, and when, and those who will continue to have recurrent seizures despite all treatment. To achieve this goal an index to predict the recurrence risk was developed. Therapy must be reduced slowly and, on polytherapy, only one drug at a time.