Cosmetic Side Effects of Antiepileptic Drugs in Adults With Epilepsy

    December 2014 in “ Epilepsy & behavior ”
    Baibing Chen, Hyeong‐Ah Choi, Lawrence J. Hirsch, Jeremy Moeller, Asif Javed, Kenneth Kato, Alexander Legge, Richard Buchsbaum, Kamil Detyniecki
    TLDR Some antiepileptic drugs can cause weight gain and hair loss, especially in women.
    The study compared cosmetic side effects (CSEs) of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) in 1,903 adult patients and found that weight gain and alopecia were the most common CSEs, with weight gain often leading to dosage adjustment or discontinuation. Women and patients with prior CSEs were more likely to experience CSEs. Valproic acid and pregabalin were associated with higher rates of CSEs, particularly weight gain and hair loss, while levetiracetam had fewer CSEs. The findings highlighted the importance of considering CSEs, especially in female patients and those with a history of CSEs, when prescribing AEDs.
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