Comparison of the retention rate, safety, and efficacy of two different titration protocols for lamotrigine in newly diagnosed epilepsy patients

To evaluate and compare the retention rate, safety, and efficacy of two different lamotrigine (LTG) titration protocols for newly diagnosed epilepsy patients.We retrospectively evaluated newly diagnosed epilepsy patients taking LTG from January 2012 to December 2021. In one titration protocol, LTG was taken once daily; in the other, LTG was taken twice daily. Clinical characteristics, seizure outcomes, adverse effects and patient retention rates were evaluated.A total of 193 patients were included. There was no significant difference in seizure outcomes or adverse effects between patients treated with LTG once daily and twice daily. However, the retention rates were significantly higher in the once-daily group than in the twice-daily group (73.03% and 55.77%, respectively).The effectiveness and safety of LTG were not significantly different between the two different LTG titration protocols groups. However, the retention rate of the patients treated with LTG once daily was higher than that of the patients treated with LTG twice daily.