32nd Annual Student Research Conference
How Age and Generic Counterparts Contribute to the Therapeutic Effectiveness of Epilepsy Medications and Quality of Life of Patients
Kathryn E. Bohannan
Dr. Stephanie Maiden and Dr. Bridget Thomas, Faculty Mentors
Reaching therapeutic effectiveness in epilepsy medications is a challenge for the more than 50 million people worldwide who are affected by this complex disease (World Health Organization). Epilepsy that is not well controlled can have an extremely negative effect on the quality of life of patients through symptoms such as fatigue, consistent migraines and headaches, and aphasic, absent, or generalized seizures (Epilepsy Foundation). Epilepsy medications are highly nuanced and their effectiveness can be affected by many variables including the age of the patient and whether or not the medication is generic. This study investigates the therapeutic effectiveness of brand name versus generic medications, and quality of life while on said medications, in patients of different ages. Patient interviews, medication histories, and incident reports, as well as comprehensive literature reviews have been utilized in this research to establish if there are any medications that are more therapeutically effective than others.
Keywords: epilepsy, generic medications, seizure, pharmacy, patient care, therapeutic effectiveness, quality of life, pharmaceutical science
Topic(s):Health Science
Biology
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 201-1
Location: BH 102
Time: 10:15