By SAH TERENCE ANIMBOM
The oldest drug that has been used for the treatment of Epilepsy Phenobarbital, sometimes referred to as Phenobarbitone or simply Phenobarb has been out of stock in pharmacies and health units in the North West Region for over two months now, leaving epileptic patients stranded as their convulsions increase, greatly diminishing their health.
A Medical Doctor who spoke to The SUN Newspaper on basis of anonymity revealed that she has so far lost two patients in her health unit due to the absence of this drug that has remained the most recommended option for the treatment of epilepsy in the last 108 years. “These are patients who have been on this drug for a greater part of their lives and just because we have been unable to get the drug even after requesting from the North West Special Fund for health which is in charge of furnishing hospitals in the region with drugs, their health conditions deteriorated greatly and today they are no more. I am told one convulsed when there was no one at home and was only found dead. I currently know about twenty of these patients that have often come to consult and who are now really fighting hard to remain stable” the Doctor revealed.
Helen, a 57-year-old woman in Fundong, Boyo Division who became epileptic between 1983 and 1984 and started treatment on the said Phenobarbital about five years later until now, taking a recommended dose of 100miligrams a day till two months ago when the drug seemingly went out of stock, is currently battling with her health, having very frequent convulsions that take up all her energy and leave her helpless. The frequent convulsions have given way to a high fever that is currently taking the most of her, added to the convulsions that have only but increased as days pass by.
The SUN spoke to one of Helen’s children, who described the pain his mother goes through each time she has a convulsion: “My mother has had thousands of convulsions since she had this terrible disease. She lost her arm about 37 years ago after she had a convulsion and went unconscious, falling into the fire with a baby in her arms. It was the cry of the baby that saved her from burning to death because the baby too burnt his hand as all her right arm was burnt. Today she has just one arm and has been using this drug for more than 30 years. These are not the kind of drugs that government should play with. They must always be available to save lives and health” Helen’s son said.
Zeid Yasiry and Simon D. Shorvon in a research document published in 2012 titled “How Phenobarbital revolutionized epilepsy therapy: The story of Phenobarbital therapy in epilepsy in the last 100 years, give an in depth insight to the drug that makes it an outstanding drug, one that has been around for the same treatment for more than a century.
Part of the document reads, “Phenobarbital (phenobarbitone) was first used as an antiepileptic drug 100 years ago, in 1912. This article tells the story of the discovery of its antiepileptic action, its early development, and the subsequent course of its clinical use over the 100-year period. The side effects, pharmacokinetics, and misuse of barbiturates are considered, along with the more recent clinical trials and the drug’s current clinical utilization. The introduction of controlled drug regulations, the comparative cost of phenobarbital, and its inclusion on the World Health Organization (WHO) essential drug list are discussed. It is one of the few drugs on the formulary in 1912 that is still listed today, and remarkably its efficacy in epilepsy has not been significantly bettered. The current recommendation by the WHO is that Phenobarbital should be offered as the first option for therapy for convulsive epilepsy in adults and children if availability can be ensured. This is rated as a strong recommendation because of the proven efficacy and low cost of Phenobarbital.