antiepileptics, drug utilization, defined daily dose, prescribed daily dose, therapeutic drug monitoring

Objective: Prescribed daily doses (PDDs) of antiepileptics (N03A ATC group) were recorded for drugs used in monotherapy or in combination therapy in the University Hospital in Ostrava, Czechia. Plasma levels were used as an indicator of the quality of treatment. Method: Request and reply forms for therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) were used as a source of PDDs and plasma levels. Conclusions: PDDs in monotherapy were similar or slightly lower than in combination therapy with an exception for lamotrigine, NS. The differences were significant in carbamazepine, p < 0.0001, and valproic acid, p < 0.001. Patients with plasma levels within the therapeutic range were usually treated with similar or slightly higher doses than the remainder. In general plasma levels tended to be below the therapeutic range. The differences between PDD and DDD of antiepileptics have to be taken into account especially when utilization of different drugs is compared.