EPILEPSY: THE CONTRIBUTION OF GABAPENTIN AS A THERAPEUTIC AGENT

Abstract

The study aimed to demonstrate the contribution of gabapentin as a therapeutic agent for epilepsy. This is descriptive-exploratory bibliographic research, carried out through searches in the Virtual Health Library (BVS) Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) and Google Scholar, to gather articles, books, dissertations, and theses that provided relevant information on the topic addressed, with 8 references being selected for the development of the research. The following topics were addressed: disease (epilepsy) and drug (gabapentin), where the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and mechanism of action were described. It was possible to demonstrate the contribution of gabapentin as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of epilepsy, as it provides a significant reduction in the frequency and intensity of epileptic seizures. Regarding side effects, it was found that the use of this drug is associated with some adverse effects, such as drowsiness, dizziness, and fatigue. However, these effects are generally considered mild and transient, and do not compromise treatment adherence.