These medicines should only be considered if the first-line medications are not working. Other medications have been used to treat absence seizures, like topiramate (Topamax), zonisamide (Zonegran), levetiracetam (Keppra), benzodiazepines ( clobazam), stiripentol, and in a few reports amantadine (Symmetrel).If absence seizures continue after trying one of these seizure medications, combining these medications may help.The side effects generally went away quickly and did not require stopping the drug during the study. Lamotrigine (Lamictal) was less effective, but certain side effects were less frequent compared to valproate.Valproate (Depakote) was equally as effective as ethosuximide, but ethosuximide caused fewer problems with attention than valproate.In a recent study, ethosuximide (Zarontin) was shown to be the first drug of choice to treat absence seizures.In most cases, these provide effective seizure control. First-line medications (seizure medicines that are most helpful) include ethosuximide, valproic acid and lamotrigine.
