Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Antiepileptic Drug Withdrawal in Dogs with Epilepsy.
- Journal:
- Frontiers in veterinary science
- Year:
- 2015
- Authors:
- Gesell, Felix Kaspar et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Small Animal Medicine and Surgery · Germany
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
Epilepsy is a common brain disorder in dogs that is usually treated with long-term medication called antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). In people, doctors often consider stopping these medications after a patient has been seizure-free for three years, but this can lead to a return of seizures. In a study involving 138 dogs with epilepsy, 11 had their AEDs stopped after being seizure-free for about a year. After stopping the medication, four dogs continued to be seizure-free, while seven had seizures return; of those, only three were able to stop having seizures again after restarting the medication. Although the study had a small number of cases, it suggests that the risks of stopping AEDs in dogs may be similar to those seen in humans, which can help pet owners and veterinarians make informed decisions about treatment.
Abstract
Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders in dogs and is treated by chronic administration of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). In human beings with epilepsy, it is common clinical practice to consider drug withdrawal after a patient has been in remission (seizure free) for three or more years, but withdrawal is associated with the risk of relapse. In the present study, the consequences of AED withdrawal were studied in dogs with epilepsy. Therefore, 200 owners of dogs with idiopathic or presumed idiopathic epilepsy were contacted by telephone interview, 138 cases could be enrolled. In 11 cases, the therapy had been stopped after the dogs had become seizure free for a median time of 1 year. Reasons for AED withdrawal were appearance or fear of adverse side effects, financial aspects, and the idea that the medication could be unnecessary. Following AED withdrawal, four of these dogs remained seizure free, seven dogs suffered from seizure recurrence, of which only three dogs could regain seizure freedom after resuming AED therapy. Due to the restricted case number, an exact percentage of dogs with seizure recurrence after AED withdrawal cannot be given. However, the present study gives a hint that similar numbers as in human patients are found, and the data can help owners of epileptic dogs and the responsible clinician to decide when and why to stop antiepileptic medication.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26664952/