Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41627130›Full record

ArticleEpilepsia2026

Age- and sex-associated variability in lamotrigine prescription patterns and clearance.

Charul Avachat, Yuhan Long, Ashley Petersen, Angela K Birnbaum, Sima I Patel

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Epilepsia, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Charul AvachatExperimental & Clinical Pharmacology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5052-7981
Yuhan LongExperimental & Clinical Pharmacology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Ashley PetersenDivision of Biostatistics and Health Data Science, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Angela K BirnbaumExperimental & Clinical Pharmacology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
Sima I PatelDepartment of Neurology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.

Funding

National Institutes of Health's National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences UM1TR004405University of Minnesota Center for Women's Health Research and the Powell Center Fund for Women's Health AdvancementUniversity of Minnesota's Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveLamotrigine is one of the most widely prescribed antiseizure medication (ASM) and mood stabilizer in the United States due to its favorable side-effect profile, lower risk of teratogenicity, and minimal drug-drug interactions. This study aimed to examine age- and sex-associated variability in prescribing and pharmacokinetics, focusing on postmenopausal women.

methodsData were from electronic health records. Individuals were included if ≥18 years and received an ASM between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2021. Lamotrigine prescriptions were compared based on age, sex, epilepsy diagnosis, and monotherapy/polytherapy. Statistical comparisons of proportions were conducted using two-proportion tests. To characterize age- and sex-related differences in LTG apparent oral clearance and assess the impact of covariates, linear mixed-effects modeling was employed.

resultsRecords were available for 314 890 individuals, with 23 906 patients being prescribed lamotrigine at least once (as monotherapy or polytherapy) for both epilepsy and non-epilepsy diagnoses. The lamotrigine prescription rate was lower in postmenopausal women compared to younger women but higher than in older men, irrespective of diagnosis. Notably, lamotrigine was prescribed as monotherapy more frequently to patients without epilepsy than those with epilepsy, regardless of sex and age. The clearance of lamotrigine was 22% lower in postmenopausal women compared to younger women and 9% in older men. Lamotrigine clearance increased by 49% and 11% with co-administration of inducers or the presence of smoking, respectively. Lamotrigine clearance decreased by 51% in the presence of an inhibiting medication. SIGNIFICANCE: Prescription rates for lamotrigine varied between patients with epilepsy and those with non-epilepsy conditions. Age and sex differences in pharmacokinetics suggest the need for lamotrigine dose adjustments, highlighting the importance of therapeutic drug monitoring in personalized epilepsy care. Lamotrigine use was less frequent in postmenopausal women compared to younger women but higher compared to older men. Postmenopausal women were prescribed lamotrigine as monotherapy to a lesser extent than younger women and older men.

Indexed as

AnticonvulsantsEpilepsyLamotriginePractice Patterns, Physicians'AdolescentAdultAgedAge FactorsFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPostmenopauseSex FactorsYoung AdultAnticonvulsantsLamotrigineagelamotriginemenopausepharmacokineticssex

Identifiers

PMID41627130
PMCPMC13007825

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.