Morningness and eveningness: when do patients take their antiepileptic drugs?

Almost one-third of epilepsy patients continue to have seizures despite adequate drug treatment. Chronotherapy (based on dynamic changes in drug pharmacology and disease-related processes) could be a promising treatment option. We aimed to explore whether different circadian types adjust administration times of anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) as a step in exploring chronotherapeutic possibilities. We performed a questionnaire-based study to compare behavior of different circadian types in relation to times of taking drugs. Circadian type was determined by the Morningness–Eveningness Questionnaire. Results clearly show that morning types are taking their AEDs significantly earlier than do evening types on free days. Times of taking AEDs in the morning on work days also differ significantly between morning and evening types. Regardless of circadian type, drugs on free days are taken later than on working days. In conclusion, our study shows that patients adapt times of taking medication to their circadian type.