BrainWaves #156 Off-label clobazam in drug-resistant epilepsy

MedLink Neurology Podcast is delighted to feature selected episodes from BrainWaves, courtesy of James E Siegler MD, its originator and host. BrainWaves is an academic audio podcast whose mission is to educate medical providers through clinical cases and topical reviews in neurology, medicine, and the humanities, and episodes originally aired from 2016 to 2021.

Originally released: February 6, 2020

The sole FDA-approved indication for clobazam is as a therapeutic adjunct in Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. But as more and more clinicians publish their experience with the off-label success of certain therapies, we may see new indications for this and other pharmacologic agents in the treatment of neurologic disease.

Produced by James E Siegler. Unless otherwise mentioned in the podcast, no competing financial interests exist in the content of this episode. Music courtesy of Chris Zabriskie, Milton Arias, and John Bartmann. Sound effects by Mike Koenig and Daniel Simion. BrainWaves' podcasts and online content are intended for medical education only and should not be used for clinical decision-making. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @brainwavesaudio for the latest updates to the podcast.

REFERENCES

Bresnahan R, Martin-McGill KJ, Williamson J, Michael BD, Marson AG. Clobazam add-on therapy for drug-resistant epilepsy. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2019;10(10):CD004154. PMID 31638272

Keene DL, Whiting S, Humphreys P. Clobazam as an add-on drug in the treatment of refractory epilepsy of childhood. Can J Neurol Sci 1990;17(3):317-9. PMID 2207888

Mahmoud SH, Rans C. Systematic review of clobazam use in patients with status epilepticus. Epilepsia Open 2018;3(3):323-330. PMID 30187002

Montenegro MA, Arif H, Nahm EA, Resor SR Jr, Hirsch LJ. Efficacy of clobazam as add-on therapy for refractory epilepsy: experience at a US epilepsy center. Clin Neuropharmacol 2008;31(6):333-8. PMID 19050410

Montenegro MA, Cendes F, Noronha AL, et al. Efficacy of clobazam as add-on therapy in patients with refractory partial epilepsy. Epilepsia 2001;42(4):539-42. PMID 11440350

Ng YT, Collins SD. Clobazam. Neurotherapeutics 2007;4(1):138-44. PMID 17199029

Remy C. Clobazam in the treatment of epilepsy: a review of the literature. Epilepsia 1994;35 Suppl 5:S88-91. PMID 8039479

Schmidt D, Rohde M, Wolf P, Roeder-Wanner U. Clobazam for refractory focal epilepsy. A controlled trial. Arch Neurol 1986;43(8):824-6. PMID: 3089202. PMID 3089202

YOUTUBE EXCERPTS (shared via fair use)

Kathryn Davis MD (Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XInZ7...

Patty McGoldrick NP MPA (Beth Israel Deaconness Medical Center/Roosevelt Hospital): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE2Bk...

We believe that the principles expressed or implied in the podcast remain valid, but certain details may be superseded by evolving knowledge since the episode’s original release date.