In several small , single-site RCTs , valproate and sulthiame were better than placebo for the management of recurrent aggression .
Conclusions : Currently available RCTs do not support the efficacy of anticonvulsants as mood stabilizers in children .
There is some preliminary evidence from small RCTs of the efficacy of some anticonvulsants in the control of aggression and behavioral dyscontrol in conduct disorder , autism , and intellectual disability
Aim : Anticonvulsant medications are frequently used in clinical practice to treat psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents , but the evidence for their efficacy is uncertain .
We conducted a systematic review of published r and omized controlled trials ( RCT ) that assessed the psychiatric benefit of anticonvulsants  in patients under 18 years of age .
Adjunctive Maintenance Lamotrigine for Pediatric Bipolar I Disorder: A Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Withdrawal Study.
OBJECTIVE This study aim ed to compare the efficacy of lamotrigine versus placebo in 10- to 17-year-olds with bipolar I disorder ( BP-I ) who were receiving conventional bipolar disorder treatment . METHOD In this r and omized withdrawal trial , patients with BP-I of at least moderate severity  received lamotrigine during an ≤18-week open-label phase . Patients who maintained a stable lamotrigine dose for ≥2 weeks and Clinical Global Impression-Bipolar Severity of Illness ( CGI-BP[S ] ) score of ≤3 for ≥6 consecutive weeks were r and omized to double-blind lamotrigine or placebo for ≤36 weeks . RESULTS Of 301 patients enrolled , 298 comprised the open-label intention-to-treat population , with 173 ( 58 % ) r and omized . Of these patients , 41 ( 24 % ) completed the study . In the open-label phase , the mean ( SD ) baseline CGI-BP(S ) rating was 4.4 ( 0.57 ) , and the mean ( st and ard error [ SE ] ) time to stabilization was 101 ( 1.6 ) days . During the r and omized phase , mean ( SE ) time to occurrence of a bipolar event ( TOBE )  for lamotrigine versus placebo ( primary endpoint ) was 155 ( 14.7 ) versus 50 ( 3.8 ) , 163 ( 12.2 ) versus 120 ( 12.2 ) , and 136 ( 15.4 ) versus 107 ( 13.8 ) days for the 3 index mood states ( depressed , manic/hypomanic , mixed ) . The primary stratified log-rank analysis of TOBE was not statistically significant ( hazard ratio [ HR ] = 0.63 ; p = .072 ) ; however , the prespecified Cox regression analysis favored lamotrigine ( p = .047 ) . In 13- to 17-year-olds , log-rank analysis of TOBE significantly favored lamotrigine ( HR = 0.46 ; p = .015 ) , but not in 10- to 12-year-olds ( HR = 0.93 ; p = .877 ) . Dermatologic events were reported in 4 % ( open-label phase ) and 2 % ( r and omized phase ) of patients receiving  lamotrigine . Suicidality-related adverse events were reported in 7 % ( open-label phase ) and 7 % ( r and omized phase ) of patients receiving lamotrigine . CONCLUSION Although the primary analysis failed to detect a benefit of add-on lamotrigine for BP-I in 10- to 17-year-olds , lamotrigine may be effective in a subset of older adolescents . Clinical trial registration information-Lamictal as Add-on Treatment for Bipolar I Disorder in Pediatric Patients ; http:// clinical trials.gov/ ; NCT00723450
In several small , single-site RCTs , valproate and sulthiame were better than placebo for the management of recurrent aggression .
Conclusions : Currently available RCTs do not support the efficacy of anticonvulsants as mood stabilizers in children .
There is some preliminary evidence from small RCTs of the efficacy of some anticonvulsants in the control of aggression and behavioral dyscontrol in conduct disorder , autism , and intellectual disability
Aim : Anticonvulsant medications are frequently used in clinical practice to treat psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents , but the evidence for their efficacy is uncertain .
We conducted a systematic review of published r and omized controlled trials ( RCT ) that assessed the psychiatric benefit of anticonvulsants  in patients under 18 years of age .