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This review article focuses on the psychotropic effects of 13 antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and of the vagal nerve stimulator (VNS).
The author cautions that, as a rule, the general psychiatric population using these drugs differs from the epilepsy population. He points out that AEDs’ psychotropic effects are crucial in epilepsy patients, yet the evidence from relevant studies remains limited. The best-studied of the newest AEDs is lamotrigine, with frank evidence in randomized controlled trials (RCT) for its antidepressant properties and for its potential as a good mood stabilizer. Vagus nerve stimulation has been approved to treat both seizures and drug-resistant depression. Although some debate remains about its efficacy for depression, the …