Medication Instructions for Child Patients with Epilepsy. (III). Prescription Analysis of the Dosage Form for Valproic Acid.

Various dosage forms of valproic acid (VPA) prescribed for 53 child patients with epilepsy were analyzed. These patients were all given medication instructions during hospitalization at the department of Child Neurology for 21 months from 1 October 1993 to the end of June 1995. Patients less than 1 year old, who were treated with VPA, represented the largest group in our study. The prescription frequency of syrup, fine granules, long-active granules, tablets and longactive tablets in VPA dosage forms was 39, 23, 15, 15 and 8%, respectively. The selection of dosage form changed from liquid form to the powder and then to the tablet as the patient age increased. These results suggest that various dosage forms of antiepileptics such as VPA contribute to not only the pharmacotherapy of such child patients with epilepsy but also to an improvement in their quality of life.