Anti-epileptic drugs (ASMs) are the main form of treatment for people living with epilepsy, with up to 70% (7 in 10 people) having their seizures controlled through this medication.
In Australia there are over 20 ASMsare used to treat seizures. The ASMsprescribed are often selected on the basis of the seizure type/s, age, gender and side effects. ASMsmay be prescribed as tablets, syrups and liquids.
Click on the Australian Government healthdirect links below to read about the most common ASMs, including ones prescribed for emergency medication. The ASMsmay be referred to by the chemical name of the drug or the brand name (in brackets) given by the manufacturer.
In addition, NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) provides a summary of types of seizures, and the recommended medications associated with these.
- Brivaracetam (Briviact)
- Carbamazepine (Tegretol)
- Clobazam (Frisium)
- Clonazepam (Rivotril)
- Diazepam (Valium)
- Ethosuximide (Zarontin)
- Gabapentin (Neurontin)
- Lacosamide (Vimpat)
- Lamotrigine (Lamictal)
- Levetiracetam (Keppra)
- Midazolam
- Oxcarbazepine (Trileptal)
- Perampanel (Fycompa)
- Phenobarbitone (Phenobarb)
- Phenytoin (Dilantin)
- Pregabalin (Lyrica)
- Primidone (Mysoline)
- Rufinamide (Inovelon)
- Sodium valproate (Epilim, Valpro)
- Tiagabine (Gabitril)
- Topiramate (Topamax)
- Vigabatrin (Sabril)
- Zonisamide (Zonegran)