Condition

Idiopathic epilepsy

Clinical trials and treatment information for Idiopathic epilepsy

24.2M
People Affected
150
Active Trials
484K
New Cases/Year
140K
Deaths/Year

Treatment Rankings

Ranked by evidence volume first. Medicine has spent centuries ranking things by vibes. This is an improvement.

1
Valproate
85% Effectiveness• 95% Confidence• 50% Safety• 2 trials• 75K participants
HIGH EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: 1000-2500 mg daily
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
50
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

Days to weeks

Duration

Lifetime

Response Rate

55%

Remission Rate

45%

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

6

Number Needed to Harm (NNH)

7

Common Side Effects:

Nausea/Vomiting: 15%
Weight gain: 15%
Hair loss: 8%
Tremor: 7%
Sedation: 7%
Hepatotoxicity: 3%
Teratogenicity (major congenital malformations): 7%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$800

Monitoring

$600

Side Effects

$500

Total Annual

$1,900

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

7.5

ICER

$12,667/QALY

Cost per Remission

$4,222

Cost per Responder

$3,455

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Monthly Seizure Frequency6 seizures/month
-60% (-3.6 seizures/month)
Liverpool Seizure Severity Scale (LSS) total score25/50 on LSS
-30% (-7.5 points on LSS)
Generalized Spike-and-Wave Discharge Index (EEG)20 discharges/minute
-45% (-9 discharges/minute)
Secondary Benefits
Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory (QOLIE-31) score50/100 on QOLIE-31
+15% (+7.5 points on QOLIE-31)
Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) - Depression Subscale9/21 points on HADS-D
-20% (-1.8 points on HADS-D)
Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) - Anxiety Subscale10/21 points on HADS-A
-18% (-1.8 points on HADS-A)
Common Side Effects
Nausea/Vomiting
+15%
Weight gain
+15%
Hair loss
+8%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 3Phase 4
2
Levetiracetam
80% Effectiveness• 90% Confidence• 60% Safety• 4 trials• 60K participants
HIGH EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: 500-3000 mg daily
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
60
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

Days to weeks

Duration

Lifetime

Response Rate

50%

Remission Rate

35%

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

8

Number Needed to Harm (NNH)

15

Common Side Effects:

Somnolence/Fatigue: 18%
Irritability/Agitation: 15%
Dizziness: 12%
Headache: 10%
Anorexia: 8%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$1,000

Monitoring

$500

Side Effects

$300

Total Annual

$1,800

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

6

ICER

$15,000/QALY

Cost per Remission

$5,143

Cost per Responder

$3,600

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Overall Seizure Frequency (per 28 days)7 seizures/28 days
-50% (-3.5 seizures/28 days)
Generalized Tonic-Clonic Seizure (GTCS) Frequency (per 28 days)3 GTCS/28 days
-65% (-1.95 GTCS/28 days)
Seizure Severity Scale (e.g., NSS-3 score)NSS-3 score: 18/28
-30% (-5.4 points)
Secondary Benefits
Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory (QOLIE-31) Total ScoreQOLIE-31 score: 55/100
+15% (+8.25 points)
Epilepsy Self-Efficacy Scale (ESES) ScoreESES score: 120/200
+10% (+12 points)
Cognitive Processing Speed (e.g., Symbol Digit Modalities Test score)SDMT score: 50/110
+5% (+2.5 points)
Common Side Effects
Somnolence/Fatigue
+18%
Irritability/Agitation
+15%
Dizziness
+12%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 3Phase 4
3
Lamotrigine
75% Effectiveness• 85% Confidence• 65% Safety• 350 trials• 55K participants
HIGH EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: 100-500 mg daily
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
65
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

Weeks to months

Duration

Lifetime

Response Rate

45%

Remission Rate

35%

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

9

Number Needed to Harm (NNH)

12

Common Side Effects:

Dizziness: 15%
Ataxia: 8%
Rash (including serious SJS/TEN): 7%
Nausea: 6%
Headache: 6%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$900

Monitoring

$400

Side Effects

$200

Total Annual

$1,500

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

5

ICER

$15,000/QALY

Cost per Remission

$4,286

Cost per Responder

$3,333

Treatment Outcomes
Efficacy Outcomes
Overall Effectiveness
+75%
Response Rate
+45%
Remission Rate
+35%
Common Side Effects
Dizziness
+15%
Ataxia
+8%
Rash (including serious SJS/TEN)
+7%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 3Phase 4
4
Topiramate
75% Effectiveness• 85% Confidence• 55% Safety• 1 trials• 50K participants
HIGH EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: 100-400 mg daily
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
55
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

Weeks to months

Duration

Lifetime

Response Rate

45%

Remission Rate

35%

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

8

Number Needed to Harm (NNH)

8

Common Side Effects:

Paresthesia: 25%
Cognitive impairment (word-finding difficulty): 18%
Anorexia/Weight loss: 15%
Fatigue/Somnolence: 15%
Dizziness: 12%
Kidney stones: 2%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$800

Monitoring

$450

Side Effects

$300

Total Annual

$1,550

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

4.5

ICER

$17,222/QALY

Cost per Remission

$4,429

Cost per Responder

$3,444

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Median Monthly Seizure Frequency4.5 seizures/month
-46% (-2.07 seizures/month)
Proportion of patients with ≥50% Seizure ReductionPlacebo rate: 18%
+150% (+27 percentage points)
Seizure-Free Rate (for ≥6 months)Placebo rate: 2%
+500% (+10 percentage points)
Secondary Benefits
Quality of Life in Epilepsy (QOLIE-31) scoreQOLIE-31 score: 60/100
+12% (+7.2 points)
Body Weight80 kg
-7% (-5.6 kg)
Common Side Effects
Paresthesia
+25%
Cognitive impairment (word-finding difficulty)
+18%
Anorexia/Weight loss
+15%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 3Phase 4
5
Carbamazepine
70% Effectiveness• 90% Confidence• 50% Safety• 600 trials• 80K participants
HIGH EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: 600-1200 mg daily
Find Trials

Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
50
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

Days to weeks

Duration

Lifetime

Response Rate

40%

Remission Rate

30%

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

7

Number Needed to Harm (NNH)

9

Common Side Effects:

Dizziness: 15%
Diplopia/Blurred vision: 12%
Ataxia: 12%
Nausea/Vomiting: 8%
Rash (including serious SJS/TEN): 7%
Hyponatremia: 3%
Leukopenia: 3%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$500

Monitoring

$700

Side Effects

$400

Total Annual

$1,600

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

4

ICER

$20,000/QALY

Cost per Remission

$5,333

Cost per Responder

$4,000

Treatment Outcomes
Efficacy Outcomes
Overall Effectiveness
+70%
Response Rate
+40%
Remission Rate
+30%
Common Side Effects
Dizziness
+15%
Diplopia/Blurred vision
+12%
Ataxia
+12%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 3Phase 4