These are not inevitable, and the risk will be minimised by keeping the drug therapy as simple as possible. No one should stop taking anti-epileptic drugs abruptly without seeking medical advice or take extra medication unless instructed to do so. The risks of this need to be considered carefully for each individual and weighed against the risks of their epilepsy. Some anti-epileptic drugs may affect how other drugs, such as the contraceptive pill , work. The effectiveness of drug treatment should be closely monitored and the drug dose altered as appropriate, in order to achieve complete control of the seizures.
Monitoring involves checking the control and frequency of seizures and drug side effects.
Blood tests are only required in certain situations. If it is uncertain whether symptoms may be dose-related side effects. If other drugs that may affect the patient's anti-epileptic drugs are being started or stopped. As a guide to finding the correct dose of phenytoin. For other anti-epileptic drugs, measurement of drug levels is generally of little benefit in deciding the best dose and more useful guides are whether the patient is having any seizures, and whether they have any side effects to the drugs.