PIP: In considering the type of drug to be given to control epilepsy one must take into account the type of epilepsy, the age and sex of the patient, and schooling or jobs. Tonic-clonic seizures and partial seizures are all suppressed to some extent by phenobarbitone, primidone, phenytoin, carbamazepine, and sodium valproate. Of all of the drugs used, none has been shown to be free of teratogenic effects. The long half-lives of phenobarbitone of 72-120 hours, ethosuximide of 30-40 hours in children, and phenytoin of over 20 hours in adults mean that they may be taken as a single daily dose. Interactions between anticonvulsants are common and numerous interactions with other drugs are reported, some of which are important, such as the enhancement of the metabolism of oral contraceptives and warfarin by carbamazepine and phenytoin. No anticonvulsant is free from drug interactions. The advantages and disadvantages of the various drugs are presented. Recommendations are: 1) where only absence attacks occur, use ethosuximide; 2) if there are absence attacks together with other types of attacks use valproate; 3) for partial and secondary tonic-clonic seizures in children and young adults, use carbamazepine; 4) for primary tonic-clonic seizures in young adults, use valproate as a frist choice and carmamazepine as the 2nd; 5) for older patients phenytoin is satisfactory; and 6) for mycoclonus, valproate is chosen.