Abstract
Valproic acid therapy is known to be associated with carnitine deficiency in adult as well as young epileptic patients. In a study of the possible existence of such side-effects with other anticonvulsants, 76.5\% of adult patients treated with valproate were deficient in serum free carnitine, with acylcarnitine levels significantly higher than in controls (p less than 0.01), while the carnitine deficiency rate in a group of patients treated with anticonvulsants other than valproate was 21.5\%. Since in clinical practice only about one fifth of patients are treated with valproate, this means that about 15\% of epileptics are carnitine deficient because of valproate treatment and 17\% because of other anticonvulsants. The mechanisms and clinical and biological consequences of the carnitine deficiency associated with antiepileptic drugs other than valproate are not known.
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