Trimethadione (Tridione) is an oxazolidinedione

anticonvulsant Anticonvulsants (also known as antiepileptic drugs or recently as antiseizure drugs) are a diverse group of pharmacological agents used in the treatment of epileptic seizures. Anticonvulsants are also increasingly being used in the treatment of b ...

. It is most commonly used to treat

epileptic Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrical ...

conditions that are resistant to other treatments. It is primarily effective in treating

absence seizure Absence seizures are one of several kinds of generalized seizures. These seizures are sometimes referred to as petit mal seizures (from the French for "little illness", a term dated in the late 18th century). Absence seizures are characterized by ...

s, but can also be used in refractory

temporal lobe epilepsy Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is a chronic disorder of the nervous system which is characterized by recurrent, unprovoked focal seizures that originate in the temporal lobe of the brain and last about one or two minutes. TLE is the most common f ...

. It is usually administered 3 or 4 times daily, with the total daily dose ranging from 900 mg to 2.4 g. Treatment is most effective when the concentration of its active metabolite, dimethadione, is above 700 µg/mL. Severe adverse reactions are possible, including Steven Johnson syndrome, nephrotoxicity, hepatitis,

aplastic anemia Aplastic anemia is a cancer in which the body fails to make blood cells in sufficient numbers. Blood cells are produced in the bone marrow by stem cells that reside there. Aplastic anemia causes a deficiency of all blood cell types: red blood ...

neutropenia Neutropenia is an abnormally low concentration of neutrophils (a type of white blood cell) in the blood. Neutrophils make up the majority of circulating white blood cells and serve as the primary defense against infections by destroying bacteria ...

, or

agranulocytosis Agranulocytosis, also known as agranulosis or granulopenia, is an acute condition involving a severe and dangerous lowered white blood cell count (leukopenia, most commonly of neutrophils) and thus causing a neutropenia in the circulating blood. ...

. More common adverse effects include drowsiness,

hemeralopia Hemeralopia (from Greek ''ημέρα'' hemera, "day", and ''αλαός'' alaos, "blindness") is the inability to see clearly in bright light and is the exact opposite of nyctalopia (night blindness), the inability to see clearly in low light. Heme ...

, and hiccups.

Fetal trimethadione syndrome

If administered during pregnancy, fetal trimethadione syndrome may result causing facial dysmorphism (short upturned nose, slanted eyebrows), cardiac defects,

intrauterine growth restriction Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), or fetal growth restriction, refers to poor growth of a fetus while in the womb during pregnancy. IUGR is defined by clinical features of malnutrition and evidence of reduced growth regardless of an infant's ...

(IUGR), and mental retardation. The fetal loss rate while using trimethadione has been reported to be as high as 87%.Teratology and Drug Use During Pregnancy
Retrieved January 2007

References

External links

* * Anticonvulsants Oxazolidinediones {{anticonvulsant-stub