How long can it be safe to take Stiripentol continuously?

Stiripentol is an important auxiliary anti-epileptic drug for refractory epilepsy, especially Dravet syndrome. It has accumulated rich long-term use experience overseas. One of the issues that many patients and family members are most concerned about during use is how long can stiripentol be taken continuously before it is considered safe. From the perspective of international medication practice, stiripentol is not a drug for short-term symptom control, but is more of a part of long-term, maintenance treatment. Its safety assessment is usually based on "tolerability under long-term follow-up".

In both guidelines and real-world use, stiripentol can generally be used for many years under physician evaluation as long as the patient tolerates it well and does not experience significant unacceptable adverse effects. For patients with early onset and difficult epilepsy control, such as Dravet syndrome, stiripentol often needs to be combined with clobazam, valproic acid and other drugs for a long time to maintain a relatively stable seizure control state. There is no absolutely fixed "maximum period of medication" for this type of patients, but more emphasis is placed on regular assessment of the balance between benefits and risks.

From a safety perspective, when taking stiripentol for a long time, doctors usually pay attention to the patient's appetite changes, weight, sleepiness, liver function and other indicators. Some patients may experience loss of appetite or fatigue in the early stages of treatment, but these conditions can often be alleviated as the dose is adjusted or the body adapts. As long as no progressive risks are identified during follow-up, stiripentol can be continued as a long-term treatment regimen.

It should be emphasized that stiripentol is not suitable for discontinuation or discontinuation at will. Abrupt discontinuation of medication may cause rebound seizures and may lead to a risk of more severe seizures.

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