Dr. McKenzie Grinalds, along with a team of researchers, conducted a study on treatments for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy, aiming to identify gaps in medical knowledge that need further exploration.
The research focused on polytherapy, or the use of multiple medications, for patients whose epilepsy cannot be controlled with a single drug. The findings of the study can assist healthcare professionals in determining safe and effective combinations of medications Approximately 25–30% of epilepsy patients have drug-resistant epilepsy, making this research significant for a substantial portion of the population. The study examined three outcomes of polytherapy: clinical success, impact on quality of life and sleep, and economic considerations. While the ideal combination of medications is still unclear, the study highlighted the need for further research and called on other researchers to explore the benefits of polytherapy. The study was conducted by Dr. Grinalds, Dr. Aleda Chen, and Dr. Denise Rhoney, with assistance from Cedarville University pharmacy students Caleb Yoder and Zach Krauss.
