What You Should Know About Anticonvulsants

An anticonvulsant is a medication that is useful in the treatment of certain medical conditions such as convulsion, bipolar disorders, migraine, etc.


An anticonvulsant medication refers to a medication that lessens, prevents or stops convulsion. That means that it serves as a remedy for convulsion.

A convulsion is an intense and involuntary muscular contraction. It is a medical condition where body muscles contract and relax rapidly and repeatedly.

Convulsions result in an uncontrolled shaking of the body, irregular movement of the body and seizures.

Also, it is often paroxysmal that is, it occurs at a random or with a sudden outburst.

Anticonvulsants are medicines that help to reduce the severity and frequency of seizures as well as the irregular shaking of the body.

Commonly, it is people with epilepsy or those that often encounter seizures and an uncontrolled shaking of the body that uses these medications.
Anticonvulsants.

Also, an anticonvulsant can be used to treat other medical conditions in rare occasions, however, it is the doctor that would be the best person to determine this.

Examples of anticonvulsants include the following;

• AcetazolamidClobazam
• Lamotrigine
• Nitrazepam
• Piracetam
• Tiagabine
• Stiripentol
• Phenytoin
• Rufinamide
• Ethosuximide and many others.

Taking these medications also have an effect on the brain because generally, drugs affect the brain in one way or the other.

However, there are also certain side effects that accompany the use of anticonvulsant medications. Such side effects include dizziness, drowsiness, nausea, fatigue, weight gain, etc.

Also, it is advisable that pregnant women should not take anticonvulsants without consulting their doctors. To avoid the adverse effects of these drugs, proper consultation before using it is essential.