Vigabatrin Drug: Indication, Dosage, Precaution, Side Effect , Storage, Category Type and corresponding Brands - www.genericdrugscan.com

vigabatrin

pronunciation

pronounced as (vye ga' ba trin)

Why is this medication prescribed?

Vigabatrin tablets are used in combination with other medications to control certain types of seizures in adults whose seizures were not controlled by several other medications. Vigabatrin powder is used to control infantile spasms (a type of seizure that babies and children can have) in babies 1 month to 2 years of age. Vigabatrin is in a class of medications called anticonvulsants. It works by decreasing abnormal electrical activity in the brain.

How should this medicine be used?

Vigabatrin comes as a powder to be mixed with water and as a tablet to take by mouth. It is usually taken twice a day with or without food. Take vigabatrin at around the same times every day. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take vigabatrin exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.

Your doctor will probably start you on a low dose of vigabatrin and gradually increase your dose, not more often than once every 3 days for babies receiving the powder mixed with water and once a week for adults taking tablets.

Vigabatrin may help control your condition but will not cure it. Continue to take vigabatrin even if you feel well. Do not stop taking vigabatrin without talking to your doctor. If you suddenly stop taking vigabatrin, your seizures may happen more often. Your doctor will probably decrease your dose gradually, not more often than once every 3-4 days for babies receiving the powder mixed with water and once a week for adults taking tablets. Tell your doctor immediately if your seizures happen more often while you are stopping vigabatrin.

If you are taking the powder, you must mix it with cold or room temperature water immediately before taking it. Do not mix the powder with any other liquid or food. The doctor will tell you how many packets of vigabatrin powder to use and how much water to mix it with. The doctor will also tell you how much of the mixture to take for each dose. Do not use a household spoon to measure your dose. Use the oral syringe that came with the medication. Carefully read the manufacturer's instructions that describe how to mix and take a dose of vigabatrin. Be sure to ask your pharmacist or doctor if you have any questions about how to mix or take this medication.

Talk to the doctor about what to do if your baby vomits, spits up, or only takes part of the dose of vigabatrin.

What are the precautions to be followed?

• tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to vigabatrin, any other medications, or any of the ingredients in vigabatrin tablets or powder. Ask your pharmacist or check the Medication Guide for a list of the ingredients.
• tell your doctor and pharmacist what other prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking or plan to take. Be sure to mention either of the following: clonazepam (Klonopin) or phenytoin (Dilantin, Phenytek). Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects. Many other medications may also interact with vigabatrin, so be sure to tell your doctor about all the medications you are taking, even those that do not appear here.
• tell your doctor if you have or have ever had kidney disease.
• tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding. If you become pregnant while taking vigabatrin, call your doctor.
• you should know that vigabatrin may make you drowsy or tired. Do not drive a car or operate machinery until you know how this medication affects you. If your vision is damaged by vigabatrin, talk with your doctor about whether or not you can drive safely.
• you should know that your mental health may change in unexpected ways and you may become suicidal (thinking about harming or killing yourself or planning or trying to do so) while you are taking vigabatrin. A small number of adults and children 5 years of age and older (about 1 in 500 people) who took anticonvulsants like vigabatrin to treat various conditions during clinical studies became suicidal during their treatment. Some of these people developed suicidal thoughts and behavior as early as 1 week after they started taking the medication. There is a risk that you may experience changes in your mental health if you take an anticonvulsant medication such as vigabatrin, but there may also be a risk that you will experience changes in your mental health if your condition is not treated. You and your doctor will decide whether the risks of taking an anticonvulsant medication are greater than the risks of not taking the medication. You, your family, or your caregiver should call your doctor right away if you experience any of the following symptoms: panic attacks; agitation or restlessness; new or worsening irritability, anxiety, or depression; acting on dangerous impulses; difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep; aggressive, angry, or violent behavior; mania (frenzied, abnormally excited mood); thinking about or trying to hurt yourself or end your life; or any other unusual changes in behavior or mood. Be sure that your family or caregiver knows which symptoms may be serious so they can call the doctor if you are unable to seek treatment on your own.
• you should know that in some babies that have taken vigabatrin there were changes in pictures of the brain taken by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). These changes were not seen in older children or adults. Usually these changes went away when treatment was stopped. It is not known if these changes are harmful.

What are possible side effects of this medication ?

• sleepiness
• dizziness
• uncontrollable shaking of a part of the body
• weakness
• joint or muscle pain
• problems walking or feeling uncoordinated
• memory problems and not thinking clearly
• weight gain
• swelling of the hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs
• pain, burning, or tingling in the hands or feet
• fever
• irritability
• diarrhea
• nausea
• vomiting
• constipation
• stomach pain
• heartburn
• severely painful cramps during menstrual period

• confusion
• tiredness
• pale skin
• fast heartbeat
• difficulty breathing
• hives
• itching

Vigabatrin may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while taking this medication.

How to store the medication and dispose it of after its use later?

Keep vigabatrin tablets and vigabatrin powder in the container they came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store them at room temperature and away from excess heat and moisture (not in the bathroom). Throw away any medication that is outdated or no longer needed. Talk to your pharmacist about the proper disposal of your medication.

Drug Category/Class

• Enzyme Inhibitors
• Anticonvulsants
• GABA Agents
• Nervous System
• Antiepileptics
• Fatty Acid Derivatives
• Fatty acid derivatives

Prescribed	For use as an adjunct in treatment resistant epilepsy, refractory complex partial seizures, and secondary generalized seizures. It is also used as ...
Weight :	129.157
Structure	Vigabatrin
Formula	C6H11NO2

Vigabatrin has 1 Brands listed

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