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Medication adherence and adverse effect profile of antiepileptic drugs in Nigerian patients with epilepsy.

AIM
Medication adherence remains a major challenge among patients with epilepsy (PWE) with the adverse effect profile of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) as one of its main drivers.


METHODS
This was a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study among PWE in selected Nigerian tertiary healthcare facilities using the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale and the Liverpool Adverse Effect Profile (LAEP).


RESULTS
126 PWE from four tertiary healthcare facilities were included in this study comprising of 59 (46.8%) males and 67 (53.2%) females. Carbamazepine (104/70.7%), sodium valproate (23/15.6%) and phenytoin (11/7.5%) were the most commonly prescribed AEDs. Using the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale, 17.2, 38.3 and 44.5% of patients were classified as having high, medium and low adherence, respectively. The mean LAEP score was 23.69 ± 6.07. The most common reported adverse effects among respondents were tiredness (30.4%) and headache (22.5%).


CONCLUSION
Medication adherence to AED was poor among patients in this study.