Compliance and satisfaction with switching from an immediate-release to sustained-release formulation of valproate in people with epilepsy

Objective. The goal of our work was to assess compliance and patient satisfaction with switching from sodium valproate to Depakine Chrono in patients with epilepsy. Methods. Clinical, demographic, and behavioral details assessing compliance and satisfaction were collected using self-completion questionnaires at the time of inclusion in the study and 3 months after the inclusion day. Results. Data were collected from 2031 respondents from eight European countries. There were significant differences between time I and time 2 of the study in seizure frequency, reported side effects, compliance, and patient satisfaction. Conclusion. Findings suggest that switching from sodium valproate to Depakine Chrono results in an increase in seizure-free rates, a reduction in reported side effects, an improvement in the level of compliance, and a modest improvement in patient satisfaction. (C) 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.