ABSTRACT
Clonazepam (CZP), a chlorinated derivative of nitrazepam (NZP), has been used as an antiepileptic drug (AED) since 1968. It suppresses generalized epileptic activity more readily than focal abnormalities; it often limits the spread of discharges from a focal lesion while not suppressing the primary focus. Most controlled studies indicated that CZP is as effective as ethosuximide and valproate in the control of absence seizures and even superior to ethosuximide in the normalization of the electroencephalogram. NZP has been used in Europe as a potent sleep-inducing agent and an AED since 1963. It has been approved for use as an AED in Canada but is not available commercially in the United States. NZP has also been effective with myoclonic seizures occurring in children and in the Lennox-Gastaut syndrome with atonic seizures and atypical absence. Vanasse et al. have found NZP an effective drug in preventing recurrence of febrile seizure when used intermittently at the time of fever.
