ABSTRACT
These drugs are used in the management of epilepsy, and in seizures of other causes. Seizures result from abnormal discharge of cerebral neurons and consist of finite episodes.
The first pharmacological treatment of seizures was with barbiturates. Phenobarbitone (phenobarbital) was first used in 1912, and chemical analogues were investigated for antiseizure activity. Phenytoin was discovered in 1938. Drug development slowed in the subsequent 20 years, but several new drugs have been introduced in the last decade.
