• B E Caviedes and J L Herranz.
• Servicio de Neuropediatria, Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, Santander, Spain.
• Rev Neurol. 2001 Aug 1; 33 (3): 241-9.

IntroductionOver the past ten years there have been major advances in understanding the neurochemistry of the brain. This has led to better understanding of the mode of action of the classical antiepileptic drugs and the development of new drugs with better pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics. For this reason and also due to their wide mode of action, they have begun to be used for other clinical disorders, particularly neuropathic pain, in the prophylaxis of migraine, in psychiatric disorders and for neuroprotection.DevelopmentWhen evaluating the literature, only a few studies may be found reporting the clinical efficacy of carbamazepine in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia, of valproate sodium for the prophylaxis of migraine and the treatment of bipolar disorders and of gabapentine in the prophylaxis of migraine and for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia. They are considered to be drugs of second choice when the more traditional drugs have not been satisfactory.ConclusionThe new antiepileptic drugs have become an excellent option for the treatment of neuropathic pain. However, for both this and other clinical indications controlled, double blind studies are necessary to determine the efficacy, tolerability and precise indications for these drugs within the therapeutic arsenal available for these disorders.

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