New drug negatively affects epilepsy patients

Guardians of epilepsy patients  in Mzuzu have reported side effects caused by the new drug from government hospitals.

In an interview on Wednesday, Florence Singini from Choma in Mzimba said her daughter is experiencing lack of appetite and body weakness since she was given a different epilepsy prescription from Mzuzu Central Hospital.

She said: “My daughter used to receive medication from St. John of God in Mzuzu and she was well all along.

“But in September last year, the doctor said from October 2020 we should get the drugs from Mzuzu Central Hospital or Mapale Health Centre.”

Singini said her daughter fell sick after taking the new drugs and she was admitted to St. John’s Hospital.

Another guardian, Mercy Kamanga from Chibavi Township said her granddaughter became weak after taking the drug and she took her back to St. John of God.

In an interview, St. John of God chief executive officer in Malawi Charles Mwale said through an agreement with government, epilepsy patients  without mental illness were directed to start receiving drugs from government hospitals.

He said government assured St John of God about the availability of epilepsy drugs in its hospitals.

“We, therefore, referred them to Mzuzu Central Hospital or Mapale Health Centre in Mzuzu” said Mwale.

He said his office administers phenobarbital, carbamazepine, phenytoin and sodium valproate for epileptics.

Ministry of Health spokesperson Joshua Malango confirmed that epilepsy patients are receiving medication from government hospitals.

The ministry’s mental health clinical services assistant director Michael Udedi said anti-epilepsy drugs have side effects at individual level.

He advised those experiencing side effects to report to the respective hospitals they got the drugs for advice.