Administration of a benzodiazepine, clonazepam, produced control of previously intractable seizures in 11 of 20 patients. It was most effective in uncontrollable cases of petit mal. An electroencephalogram showed low-voltage fast activity and a decrease in the spike and wave discharges. The EEG telemetry in two cases showed the effects to last up to eight hours.
Clonazepam administered in much smaller doses had anticonvulsant effects similar to trimethadione, diazepam, and nitrazepam. The maximum tolerable dose (1.5 to 2 mg/kg) was ten times the optimal anticonvulsant dose (0.1 to 0.2 mg/kg). The preexisting hyperactivity in children was aggravated by this drug. No serious toxic side effect was noted.