Anticonvulsant medications - when to use them

Anticonvulsant drugs are also known as antiepileptic and anti-seizure drugs. The primary indication for the medicines use is epilepsy. However, they can be used for various disorders to relief muscle cramps of various origins, for example, in eclampsia, intoxication, and tetanus. Interestingly, the medicines can be used for off-label purposes also. For instance, sometimes anticonvulsant medications are prescribed in bipolar disorder and other behavioral disorders as some of the drugs from the group have pronounced properties of mood stabilizers. Moreover, various widely used tranquilizers such as benzodiazepines (diazepam, nitrazepam, clonazepam) also render anti-seizure effect. In many pharmaceutical classifications, clonazepam's primary property is anticonvulsant.

How do anticonvulsants work?

Anti-seizure medications suppress the rapid and excessive reactions of neurons during a seizure and prevent the spread of the convulsion within the brain. The medicines are providing symptomatic treatment exclusively meaning that after the course termination the flow of the disease remains unchanged.

All antiepileptic medications have the same principle of action - they reduce the frequency of neuronal activation. Modern drugs of this group exhibit selective inhibition of the activity of pathologically active neurons exclusively.

Such effect is usually achieved in three ways:
 - Increase in the activity of inhibitory neurons, for example, by stimulating the activity of GABA receptors;
 - Inhibition of excitatory neuronal receptors, for example, reducing the activity of NMDA-receptors;
 - Direct impact on the conduct of the electric impulse, for example, adjusting the ionic channels of the neurons.

Additionally, anticonvulsant drugs affect voltage-gated calcium channels. By affecting calcium and sodium channels, the medicines decrease the release of excitatory glutamate which levels are increased in epilepsy.

During multiple tests, some of the anticonvulsant drugs have shown the ability to either prevent the development of epilepsy or slow down its progression in animals. Unfortunately, no drugs had shown the same effect in humans to date.

Potential side effects of anticonvulsants

All medicines regardless of their composition and purpose for use can cause a wide range of side effects. However, in the case with anticonvulsants, even if they provide side effects, they still need to be taken though they are believed to provide symptomatic effect exclusively. In fact, if the symptoms are not suppressed, the disease can cause serious neurological consequences or even death. One of the supposed side effects of anti-seizure medicines is that it reduces cognitive function in children. Still, the withdrawal of the medicine can endanger children's lives, so the negative effect is usually neglected.

Though there are various anticonvulsant drugs with different composition and somehow different mechanisms of action, all of them have an inhibitory effect on the central nervous system and can cause similar adverse reactions.

The most common side effects of anticonvulsant drugs include:
 - Drowsiness
 - Fatigue
 - Dizziness
 - Ataxia
 - Loss of memory
 - Impaired cognitive functions

Most prescribed anticonvulsant drugs in the United States

Anticonvulsant drugs in the USA are released with a prescription only due to their potent effect. Most commonly the doctors in America prescribe to treat epilepsy Carbamazepine (Carbatrol or Tegretol), Diazepam (Valium), lorazepam (Ativan), Clonazepam ( Klonopin ), Felbamate (Felbatol), Ethosuximide (Zarontin), and Eslicarbazepine (Aptiom).

Worth noting that the most currently synthesized anti-seizure drugs are more effective and cause fewer side effects. However, they are the most expensive ones. If you need anticonvulsants, you can opt for generic versions of the most modern medications in order to save on your treatment.

The difference between brand and generic drugs

Some medicines can be not approved by the Food and Drug Administration of the USA but all of the medicines currently used in the world are approved by the World Health Organization. There are only a few types of anticonvulsants synthesized to date. Obviously, people all around the world use the same drugs, yet they are named differently. Moreover, they are also priced differently. For example, brand drugs in the USA are very expensive while the same drugs in other countries, let's say, Brazil, can be priced up to ten times cheaper. It is possible because there are multiple pharmaceutical companies who didn't do their own research but use already discovered formula for their medicines. They spend less on research, advertising, and production and sell their drugs greatly cheaper than the brand drugs prescribed by your doctor. Such drugs are called generics and they are approved by the World Health Organization as equivalent replacement for the brand drugs.

Generic anticonvulsant medicines versus brand

If you suffer from epilepsy you need to use anticonvulsant medicines on a regular basis. They do not provide prolonged effect but only symptomatic treatment. Therefore, you cannot take a course and then be relieved from seizures forever. However, the relief of symptoms is crucial in the disease since they can be life-threatening.

Brand anticonvulsant medicines sold in the United Stated are quite expensive and released with a prescription only, so not anyone who needs them can afford the treatment. We do not advise you to use the drugs without a recommendation from your doctor. We simply recommend you to opt for generic versions of anti-seizure drugs you are prescribed.

Generic anticonvulsant medicines are identical in composition and effect to their brand counterparts. They are cheaper because they are made using already created formula without spending on research, with lower production costs, and due to the lack of advertising. You cannot buy them at your regular drugstores as they are not registered in the USA, but you can buy generics at our online pharmacy situated outside the U.S. and enjoy the same effect obtained for the price up to ten times cheaper.

Where to buy generic anticonvulsants?

One of the reasons generic anticonvulsants are cheaper than the drugs your doctor prescribes is that they are not registered in the USA. Therefore, you cannot buy them at the regular drugstores. Fortunately, you can buy them online.

Our online drugstore is situated outside the U.S. so we are able to sell generic medicines much cheaper and sometimes even without a prescription if the law allows. Not in all countries those drugs that are sold with a prescription. Only in the USA all the medicines from the class are classified as prescription-only. This policy facilitates the distribution of the medicines all around the world through online pharmacies.

We offer you:
 - The best generic anticonvulsant medicines as well as other generics at the lowest prices.
 - Qualified pharmacists' consultations.
 - Fast delivery.
 - Free shiping of big orders.
 - Anonymity. Nobody will know what kind of medicines you purchase as we leave shipment detail blank.