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 .
A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of oxcarbazepine in the treatment of bipolar disorder in children and adolescents.
OBJECTIVE This multicenter trial examined the efficacy and safety of oxcarbazepine in the treatment of bipolar disorder in children and adolescents . METHOD A total of 116 out patients 7 to 18 years of age with bipolar I disorder , manic or mixed , were recruited at 20 centers in the United States and r and omly assigned to receive 7 weeks of double-blinded , flexibly dosed treatment with oxcarbazepine ( maximum dose 900 - 2400 mg/day ) or placebo . The primary efficacy measure was the mean change from baseline to endpoint in the Young Mania Rating Scale ( YMRS ) , using the last-observation-carried-forward method . RESULTS Oxcarbazepine ( mean dose=1515 mg/day ) did not significantly improve YMRS scores at endpoint compared with placebo [ adjusted mean change : oxcarbazepine , -10.90 ( N=55 ) ; placebo , -9.79 ( N=55 ) ] . Dizziness , nausea , somnolence , diplopia , fatigue , and rash were each reported in at least 5 % of the patients in the oxcarbazepine group with an incidence at least twice that of the placebo group . The majority of adverse events were mild to moderate and occurred during the titration period . Eleven patients ( 19 % ) in the oxcarbazepine group discontinued the study because of adverse events , compared with two ( 4 % ) in the placebo group . CONCLUSIONS Oxcarbazepine is not significantly superior to placebo in the treatment of bipolar disorder in youths . While the overall adverse event profile was similar to that reported for patients with epilepsy , the incidence of psychiatric adverse events for both the oxcarbazepine and placebo groups was higher than that reported for the epilepsy population
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 .