N-acetylcysteine and Unverricht-Lundborg disease: variable response and possible side effects.

Serum glutathione levels were assessed in a patient with genetically proven Unverricht-Lundborg disease (ULD) before and during treatment with the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine (NAC). Glutathione levels were low before treatment, and increased during treatment. This increase was mirrored by an improvement in seizures, but not in myoclonus or ataxia. Three other patients with clinically determined ULD showed a variable response and some notable side effects during treatment with NAC.