The relationship among side effects associated with anti-epileptic medications in those with intellectual disability.
Seizure-medicine side effects arrive in pairs—liver with skin, sedation with thinking fog—in adults with ID.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Sipes et al. (2011) looked at how side effects from seizure medicines group together in adults with intellectual disability.
They used the SEIZES-B scale to track problems like liver issues, skin rashes, sleepiness, and thinking fog.
The goal was to see if certain side effects show up together, not just alone.
What they found
The study found that side effects cluster in pairs. Liver and skin problems often show up together.
So do thinking problems and sedation. If you see one, watch for the other.
This pattern held across the whole group.
How this fits with other research
Cramm et al. (2009) came first. Their Delphi guide told doctors to watch for side effects, but did not say which ones cluster.
van Schrojenstein Lantman-de Valk et al. (2006) built the GEOS-C scale so clients can speak for themselves. Megan’s work adds the medical piece: what to watch in the body.
Fradet et al. (2025) show that many adults with ID take more than one mind medicine. Megan’s clusters remind you that each extra drug can wake up paired side effects.
Why it matters
If you support adults with ID who take seizure drugs, pair your checks: look at skin when you order liver labs, and test alertness when they say they feel foggy. One finding now triggers two quick probes, keeping clients safer without extra clinic visits.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Seizures are fairly common in those with intellectual disabilities. In order to treat these seizures, antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are often used and in many cases are effective. However, these medications often create a variety of associated side effects. In order to monitor these side effects, measures such as the SEIZES-B have been used. While many side effects have been found to occur with the use of AEDs, research has not explored if certain side effects are more likely to co-occur. For the current study, 281 people with intellectual disability were administered the SEIZES-B to monitor side effects associated with AEDs. Correlations between side effect subscales were then computed. Several subscales were found to be significantly correlated: hepatic disturbance with dermatological changes and cognitive disturbance; respiratory disturbance with dermatological changes, sedation, and electrolyte disturbance; and cognitive disturbance with sedation and dermatological disturbance. Possible implications of these findings are discussed.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2011 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2011.02.015