All About Vitamins: Antiepileptic Drugs in Vitamin B6 Metabolism

By Kyle J. Norton.

Antiepileptic drugs are class of anticonvulsants used in the treatment of epileptic seizures.

Epilepsy is a neuro disease characterized by abnormal electrical activity in the brain with condition of sudden recurrent episodes of sensory disturbance.

Vitamin B6, also known as pyridoxine, is a water soluble vitamin found abundantly in green peas, yams, broccoli, asparagus and turnip greens,Peanuts, sunflower seeds, cashews and hazelnuts, meat, fish etc., with functions of amino acid, carbohydrate metabolism, brain health, and liver detoxification, etc.

Although vitamin B6 and its derivative have shown a strong impact in treatment of all groups of epilepsy, intake of antiepileptic drugs do not influence to the expression of plasma levels of vitamin B6, according to the University Hospital Zurich, in the study of analyzed vitamin B6 blood levels in 400 serial patients with epilepsy, AED-treated (n=385), untreated (n=15) and healthy controls (n=233).

But further differentiation of the interaction of vitamin B6 in patient with epilepsy underdone treatment of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) including phenytoin or carbamazepine) and non-inducing AED (levetiracetam, lamotrigine, or topiramate), researcher found that
1. Contrast to general belief that intake of antiepileptic drugs did not lower either levels of folate nor vitamin B12, observed by blood test.
2. Vitamin B6 deficiency was found in 16/33 patients (48%) in compared to 1/11 controls (9%; p=0.031)

3. Patients in antiepileptic drugs group showed a significant in vitamin B6 deficiency of only 7 patients (21%) .after switching to non inducers.

After taking into account of con founders, Dr. Mintzer S, the lead author said, "The incidence of deficiency was similar regardless of which inducing or non-inducing AED was being taken" and "treatment with inducing AEDs commonly causes pyridoxine deficiency, often severe".

Intrusively, the study also address that other health conditions in patients with epilepsy also must be taken into consideration before injection of older AED as the medicine may induced neuro damage and chronic heath difficulties.

More importantly, in the study to determine the means of determination of activity of EGOT in 30 and of serum pyridoxal phosphate in 27 epileptic children under antiepileptic treatment with various antiepileptic drugs and with hydantoin and succinimide alone, 25 healthy infants and children were controls, researchers indicated that
1. Application of antiepileptic drugs, especially with hydantoin and succinimide depressed the level of pyridoxal-phosphate in serum
2. Injection of various antiepileptic drugs may disturb the vitamin B6 metabolism through inhibition of activity of pyridoxalkinase.

Therefore, vitamin B6 testing in patients treated with hydantoin and succinimide may be necessary to prevent risk of reduced vitamin b6 metabolism cause of toxic effects in several neurological pathologies.

Taking altogether, injection of antiepileptic drugs  may have a complicative effect in reduced vitamin B6 metabolism in induction of neuro damage and chronic heath difficulties.

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Sources
(1) Antiepileptic drugs and vitamin B6 plasma levels in adult patients by Linnebank M1, Moskau S, Semmler A, Widman G, Weller M, Kallweit U, Elger CE.(PubMed)
(2) B-vitamin deficiency in patients treated with antiepileptic drugs by Mintzer S1, Skidmore CT, Sperling MR.(PubMed)
(3) The influence of antiepileptic drugs on vitamin B6 metabolism by Reinken L.(PubMed)

Biography
Kyle J. Norton(Scholar, Master of Nutrients), all right reserved.
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published on line, including world wide health, ezine articles, article base, healthblogs, selfgrowth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bio science, ISSN 0975-6299.