07/26/2024
Drug resistant epilepsy (DRE), also known as intractable, medically refractory, or pharmacoresistant epilepsy, can be caused by a number of factors:
Medication: Using the wrong medication, inadequate doses, missing doses, or polypharmacy can all lead to DRE. For example, some medications are effective for certain types of seizures but not others.
Clinical factors: Age at onset, symptomatic epilepsy, abnormal neuroimaging or electroencephalography, and a history of mental retardation or neuropsychiatric disorders are all associated with DRE.
Lifestyle factors: Stress, sleep deprivation, or illness can also contribute to DRE.
Polypharmacy is the regular use of five or more medications at the same time. It's common in older adults and younger people at risk, and can increase the risk of adverse medical outcomes. These outcomes can include adverse drug-drug or drug-disease interactions, and a "prescription cascade". A prescription cascade occurs when side effects of drugs are misdiagnosed as symptoms of another medical event, which can lead to more prescriptions. Polypharmacy can also be associated with frailty and malnutrition
