Intractable epilepsy is a common clinical problem in pediatrics and approximately 13% of children with epilepsy experience intractable seizures. To determine the efficacy of pyridoxine in treating seizures, 30 infants and children with recurrent seizures were enrolled in the present study. All of them were treated with high-dose oral pyridoxine (40 mg/kg/day), as an adjunct to antiepileptic drugs.
Clinical efficacy criteria were based on the daily frequency of seizures after therapy was initiated during the following three weeks.
The results indicated that the mean frequency of seizures decreased significantly from the first (l6.2±11) to the fourth visit (7±6.2) (p<0.001, t=4). Three patients became completely seizure free. No adverse effects of pyridoxine were apparent during the observation period.
We conclude that pyridoxine is a safe, effective, and well-tolerated adjunct to routine antiepileptic drugs for the treatment of recurrent intractable seizures in children.