Pharmacophore an International Research Journal
Background: One of the chronic disorders of the brain is epilepsy, it is characterized by repeated seizures. It results from an excessive electrical discharge within the brain cells, and any part of the brain can be affected. It is common in Saudi Arabia with an estimated prevalence of 6.54 per 1000 population. And, it can affect people of all ages.
Objective: To measure the level of Adherence to Anti-epileptic drugs among adult patients with epilepsy and to evaluate the personal beliefs and concerns about anti-epileptic drugs.
Methods: The study was conducted using a cross-sectional method on 80 adult patients with epilepsy using at least one anti-epileptic drug. A Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8) was used to assess the adherence to medications, and Beliefs about Medicine Questionnaire (BMQ) was used to assess the patients’ beliefs about anti-epileptic medications.
Results: The mean Medication Adherence Scale scored by the total participants was 5.0 (SD=2.2) where 60.5% of the subjects scored above the midpoint of the medication adherence scale (MMAS-8), and 39.5 % scored below. The hypothesis testing has revealed that experiencing medications’ side effects is associated with lower odds of being adherent to antiepileptic medications.
Conclusion: The hypothesis testing has revealed that there was an association between the Medication Adherence Scale and both Specific Necessity and Specific Concern. Specific necessity has shown a positive association with the Adherence Scales of P=0.24, P=0.027 while the specific concern has shown a negative association with the adherence scale of P=-0.36, P<0.001. This suggested that ensuring patients to have proper knowledge about their medications, including stressing on their importance, while dismissing the unnecessary fears and concerns would lead them to have higher adherence to their antiepileptic medications.
