A retrospective study examined medical records of 2860 adult patients with epilepsy over a 12-year period. Researchers found that in patients with new medication:
- 11.2% of those on polytherapy had intolerable cognitive side effects (CSEs)
- 7.6% of those on monotherapy had intolerable CSEs
Polytherapy and intellectual disability were found to be predictors of cognitive side effects. Intolerable CSEs were most commonly seen with topiramate in both polytherapy and monotherapy.
Javed A, Cohen B, Detyniecki K, et al. Rates and predictors of patient-reported cognitive side effects of antiepileptic drugs: an extended follow-up. Seizure. 2015;29:34-40.
