Ivermectin Shows Promise for Treating Infantile Epileptic Spasms
⚠️ Pregnancy-related topic: medication, diet, and testing decisions must be made with your obstetrician and neurology team.
⚠️ Infant dosing/safety: medication and diet decisions for infants require individualized medical guidance.
Source: Epilepsy research
Summary
Researchers studied the effects of a drug called EQU-001 (ivermectin) on spasms in a rat model of infantile epileptic spasms syndrome (IESS). The study involved immature rats that were exposed to a substance called betamethasone while in the womb. After birth, these rats were given ivermectin daily for several days, and then spasms were triggered in the rats to see how well the drug worked.
The key finding was that giving ivermectin over several days significantly reduced the number of spasms in the rats when they were triggered. This effect was similar to that of another treatment known as ACTH, which is already used for IESS. However, giving ivermectin as a single dose right before the spasms did not help at all. The study also noted that while ivermectin helped with spasms, it caused a decrease in body weight in the rats.
This research is important because it suggests that ivermectin could be a promising treatment option for IESS, a serious condition that affects infants. However, the study has limitations, such as being conducted in rats, so we cannot be sure it will have the same effects in humans. Additionally, the exact way ivermectin works to reduce spasms is still unclear, which means more research is needed to understand its potential as a treatment.
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