Reduction of seizure frequency with clomipramine in patients with complex partial seizures

Two patients with complex partial seizures who had been refractory to various antiepileptics were treated with clomipramine. The frequency of the seizures was reduced to 0–30% of the original levels. It has been reported that imipramine is effective in absence and minor motor seizures, and its antiepileptic effect is thought to be related to the inhibition of the presynaptic re-uptake of serotonin and norepinephrine. The basic effect of clomipramine is the same as that of imipramine except that the inhibitory action of clomipramine on serotonin re-uptake is 5- to 10-times more potent than that of imipramine. It is implied that clomipramine may be of use in the treatment of partial epilepsies