Anti-seizure medications (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 more than 20 ASMs used to treat seizures. The ASMs prescribed are often selected on the basis of the seizure type/s, age, gender and side-effects. ASMs may 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 ASMs may 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)