PHARMACOLOGY TUTORIALS
Mr ACM is a young man who has had idiopathic epilepsy since childhood. Recently he has been having problems with his anti-epileptic medications and his neurologist has decided to review his medications.
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He was placed on a new anti-epileptic drug. Since this drug has a half-life of about 12 hours, he was was placed on a twice daily regiment.
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Current evidence suggests that to achieve adequate suppression of seizures, the trough concentrations should be above 8 mg/L. However, concentrations above 22 mg/L may be associated with increasing risks of drowsiness, prolongation of QTc, and possible risks of arrhythmias.
Use the interactive graph to view a typical plasma concentration profile of this drug when given 12 hourly over a 10 day period.
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Check out how long it may take to reach steady state concentrations.
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Now use the sliders to change the clearance and volume of distribution of the drug. Take note of how the plasma concentration profiles change.
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Consider how the efficacy and safety of this drug may vary between patients.