Antiepileptic Medications Increased Risk of Suicide

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued new information about an increased risk of suicide in patients taking antiepileptic medications to treat epilepsy, bipolar disorder, migraines, and other conditions.

The FDA analyzed 199 placebo-controlled studies of 11 antiepileptic medications and determined that taking these medications significantly increased the risk of suicide. An estimated 2.1 per 100 (95% CI: 0.7, 4.2) more patients in the drug treatment group experienced suicidal behavior or ideation than in the placebo treatment groups (0.43% of patients taking an antiepileptic medication compared to 0.22% of patients taking placebo)2. The 11 antiepileptic medications analyzed were carbamazapine (Tegretol), felbamate (Felbatol), gabapentin (Neurontin), lamotrigine (Lamictal), levetiracetam (Keppra), oxcarbazapine (Trileptal), pregabalin (Lyrica), tiagabine (Gabitril), topiramate (Topamax), valproate (Depakote), and zonisamide (Zonegran).
The FDA reported that increased suicidal thoughts and behaviors were observed after 1 week of starting an antiepileptic medication and continued to at least 24 weeks, the longest time period any trial was conducted. Of the 199 studies analyzed, four patients taking an antiepileptic medication committed suicide, and no patients taking a placebo committed suicide. No differences in suicide risk were seen between medication groups.