Gabapentin successfully manages chronic unexplained irritability in children with severe neurologic impairment.

Neurologically impaired children have an increased frequency of recurrent pain and irritability that persist in some despite comprehensive evaluation and management of possible pain sources. We hypothesized that visceral hyperalgesia was a source of chronic unexplained irritability and report the outcome of gabapentin treatment in 9 severely neurologically impaired children. Caregivers reported marked improvement after treatment ranging from 3 months to 3 years. Nystagmus in 1 child was the only noted adverse effect. Visceral hyperalgesia may be a source of unexplained irritability in the neurologically impaired child. Symptoms may improve with gabapentin treatment.

Rapid infusion of sodium valproate in acutely ill children.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical safety of sodium valproate and total and unbound valproic acid plasma concentrations after rapid infusion in hospitalized, acutely ill children. Four children (5-15 years) completed the study. Sodium valproate doses (8.3-15.4 mg/kg) were administered in