Drug Of Choice For Status Epilepticus

Drug Of Choice For Status Epilepticus

Question 1. Write Pharmacological Basis Of Use Of Carbamazepine In Epilepsy.
Answer:

It is the drug of first choice in epilepsy. Carbamazepine blocks the use of dependent sodium channels and inhibits high-frequency repetitive firing of the neurons in the brain at therapeutic doses and prevents epilepsy.

Drug of Choice for Status Epilepticus: First-Line Treatment

Question 2. Explain why diazepam is used in the status epilepticus.
Answer:

Drug Of Choice For Status Epilepticus

Diazepam is a typical intravenous dosage of 5 to 10 mg per minute terminates seizures of any type in patients with status epilepticus. The mechanism of action is, Diazepam is a positive allosteric modulator of the GABA type A receptors (GABA-A).

Status Epilepticus Treatment: Benzodiazepines, Phenytoin, and More

The GABA-A receptors are ligand-gated chloride-selective ion channels that are activated by GABA (Gamma amino butyric acid), the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain.

The binding of diazepam to this receptor complex promotes the binding of GABA, which in turn increases the total conduction of chloride ions across the neuronal cell membrane.

This increased chloride ion influx hyper-polarizes the neuron’s membrane potential. As a result, the difference between resting potential and threshold potential is increased and firing is less likely.