Study finds seizure drugs equally effective in treating children
Researchers who participated in a National Institutes of Health study, including pediatric emergency medicine physicians at UC Davis Medical Center, have settled an important question on how to treat children with status epilepticus, a potentially fatal seizure disorder characterized by continuous or repeated seizures.
A new study finds that lorazepam and diazepam are equally effective in treating ongoing seizures in children.
For years, physicians have used one of two drugs to treat the condition: lorazepam or diazepam. Until now, the basis for treatment rested upon personal preference of the attending physician, and many physicians believed that lorazepam was better than diazepam. Now, researchers have tested both drugs head to head and found that they are equally effective.
This information will support an application for FDA aproval for the use of lorazepam to treat pediatric seizures. For more information about the results of the study, visit the Childrens National Medical Center Seizure Study.