Lacosamide
About Lacosamide
Lacosamide is an oral prescription medicine used to treat partial-onset seizures in patients with epilepsy. It helps control and reduce the frequency of these seizures by stabilising abnormal electrical activity in the brain. It can be taken alone or in combination with other anti-seizure medications.
To get the best results, you must take Lacosamide consistently every day at the same times as directed by your doctor. You can take this oral medicine with or without food. Along with taking your medicine regularly, maintaining a consistent sleep schedule and managing stress can help improve seizure control.
Some people may experience mild side effects like dizziness, headache, or nausea when they start taking Lacosamide. However, you should contact your doctor immediately if you experience serious issues like severe dizziness, double vision, coordination problems, or sudden changes in your mood or behaviour.
Before starting Lacosamide, tell your doctor if you have kidney problems, liver damage, or a history of heart conditions, especially heart block or heartbeat irregularities. Do not take this if you are allergic to any of the ingredients in this medicine or have certain severe heart rhythm disorders.
Drinking alcohol while taking Lacosamide can make you feel more drowsy or dizzy, so it is best to avoid it. Certain other medicines can affect how Lacosamide works or increase side effects. Consult your doctor if you belong to specific user groups, such as pregnant, breastfeeding, or elderly individuals, before using this medicine.
Uses of Lacosamide
Medicinal Benefits
Lacosamide helps manage epilepsy by stabilising abnormal electrical activity in the brain. By reducing the likelihood of seizures, it supports greater safety, independence, and confidence in everyday life. This medicine offers several key benefits:
- Helps Reduce Seizure Frequency: Lacosamide helps control seizures by maintaining more stable electrical activity within the brain. Regular use can reduce the number of seizure episodes, helping minimise disruptions to daily life and improving overall well-being.
- Supports a Stable and Active Lifestyle: With better seizure control, Lacosamide can help you participate more confidently in work, education, social activities, and other daily responsibilities. Reduced seizure frequency may also contribute to a greater sense of safety and independence.
- Convenient and Flexible to Use: Lacosamide can generally be taken with or without food, making it easier to incorporate into your daily routine. This flexibility supports consistent treatment adherence, which is important for maintaining effective seizure control over time.
Directions for Use
To get the full benefit of Lacosamide and minimise side effects, follow these simple guidelines:
- Take Lacosamide exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Always follow your doctor's exact instructions.
- Swallow the tablet whole with a glass of water. Do not crush, chew, or break the tablet, as it has a bitter taste and is designed to release the medicine properly when swallowed whole.
- You can take this medicine with or without food, but try to take it at the same times every day to keep a steady amount of medicine in your body.
- Never stop taking this medicine suddenly, as doing so can cause your seizures to return or worsen.
Storage
Side Effects of Lacosamide
Common Side Effects (Usually mild):
- Dizziness or feeling unsteady
- Headache
- Nausea or vomiting
- Double vision or blurry vision
- Feeling unusually tired or sleepy
Serious Side Effects (Call a doctor right away):
- Signs of a severe allergic reaction, such as swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat, severe skin rash, or difficulty breathing
- Feelings of depression, anxiety, panic attacks, or thoughts of hurting yourself
- A very fast, slow, or irregular heartbeat, or feeling like you might pass out
- Severe dizziness, loss of balance, or extreme trouble walking
Medicines Containing this Salt
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Drug Warnings
- Do not stop taking Lacosamide suddenly. Stopping abruptly can cause severe, continuous seizures. If you need to stop, your doctor will guide you on how to gradually decrease the dose safely.
- Pay close attention to any sudden changes in your mood, thoughts, or behavior, and report them to your doctor immediately.
- Do not drive, operate machinery, or do anything that requires alertness until you know how Lacosamide affects you, as it commonly causes dizziness and sleepiness.
- If you feel your heart racing, fluttering, or beating too slowly, sit down and contact your healthcare provider right away.
- Let your dentist, surgeons, and other doctors know that you are taking Lacosamide before any procedures.
Drug Interactions
Drug-Drug Interactions:
- Heart rhythm medicines: Taking Lacosamide with other medications that affect the electrical activity or rhythm of the heart may increase the risk of developing an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia). Your doctor may recommend additional monitoring if these medicines are used together.
- Other medicines that cause drowsiness: Combining Lacosamide with sleeping pills, muscle relaxants, anti-anxiety medications, or other medicines that depress the central nervous system may increase drowsiness, dizziness, impaired concentration, and the risk of falls or accidents.
- CYP2C9 inhibitors (e.g., fluconazole): Medicines that inhibit CYP2C9 may increase lacosamide levels in the body, potentially increasing the risk of side effects such as dizziness, coordination problems, or heart rhythm changes.
- CYP2C9 inducers (e.g., rifampicin/rifampin): Medicines that induce CYP2C9 activity may reduce lacosamide levels, which could decrease its effectiveness in controlling seizures. Your doctor may need to monitor your response and adjust treatment if necessary.
Drug-Food Interactions:
- There are no major known interactions between Lacosamide and specific foods. You can take it with or without food.
Drug-Disease Interactions:
- Heart conditions: If you have certain heart rhythm problems (like heart block or sick sinus syndrome), Lacosamide can make your condition worse.
- Kidney or liver damage: People with kidney or liver issues may process this medicine more slowly, meaning their doctor may need to adjust the dose to prevent side effects.
Drug-Drug Interactions Checker List:
Safety Advice
Alcohol
cautionConsuming alcohol with Lacosamide is not advisable as it may cause unpleasant side effects.
Pregnancy
consult your doctorLacosamide should not be used during pregnancy unless clearly necessary. So, inform your doctor if you are pregnant or suspect pregnancy. Your doctor will weigh the benefits and potential risks before prescribing Lacosamide.
Breast Feeding
consult your doctorLacosamide should not be used in nursing mothers unless clearly necessary. So, inform your doctor if you are a nursing mother. Your doctor will weigh the benefits and potential risks before prescribing Lacosamide.
Driving
unsafeLacosamide may cause a reduction in mental awareness; thus, avoid operating machinery or driving.
Liver
consult your doctorTell your doctor before taking Lacosamide if you have a history of liver disease. Your doctor may adjust your dose depending on your current liver conditions.
Kidney
consult your doctorTell your doctor before taking Lacosamide if you have a history of kidney disease. Your doctor may adjust your dose depending on your current kidney conditions.
Children
cautionIt is used with caution in children above 4 years only when prescribed by a child specialist. It is not recommended for use in children below 4 years of age. The dose of this medicine will be decided by the doctor based on the age and body weight of your child.
Habit Forming
Diet & Lifestyle Advise
- Maintain a consistent sleep schedule: Lack of sleep is a common seizure trigger. Aim for 7 to 9 hours of quality sleep each night.
- Avoid alcohol: Drinking alcohol can increase the sedative side effects of Lacosamide and can also lower your seizure threshold, making seizures more likely.
- Manage stress: High stress levels can trigger seizures. Practice relaxing activities like deep breathing, meditation, or gentle yoga.
- Keep a seizure diary: Note down when your seizures occur, what you were doing, and if you missed any doses. This helps your doctor evaluate how well your treatment is working.
Patients Concern
Disease/Condition Glossary
Focal or partial-onset seizures are characterised by abnormal electrical activity in only one hemisphere of the brain. Common symptoms of focal seizures are involuntary muscle contractions, followed by relaxation on one side of the body, uncontrolled head or eye movements, a feeling of déjà vu, rapid heart rate, and a tingling sensation on the skin. The symptoms vary in each patient depending on the part of the brain affected.
FAQs
Lacosamide is used to treat focal (partial) seizures in adults and children four years of age or older.
Lacosamide contains lacosamide, which treats seizures by decreasing disorganized electrical activity in the brain.
Lacosamide can cause memory loss and cognitive impairment in some cases. Consult a doctor right away if the condition worsens.
Lacosamide may not cause any weight gain. However, consult your doctor if you notice any abnormal signs while using Lacosamide.
Lacosamide is typically recommended for long-term use. Keep taking the medication as advised by your doctor. However, if you have any unsettling side effects, speak to your doctor.
Lacosamide should also be taken with caution in patients who are taking drugs that influence cardiac conduction, such as sodium channel blockers, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, potassium channel blockers, and medications that lengthen the PR interval.
Lacosamide can be given as monotherapy or in combination with other antiepileptic drugs. However, you are recommended not to take any other medications with the Lacosamide on your own without a doctor's recommendation.
The side effects of Lacosamide include headache, double or blurred vision, nausea, dizziness, vertigo (spinning sensation), tremor, uncontrollable eye movements, tingling or muscle spasms. If these side effects persist or worsen, please consult your doctor.
No, do not stop taking Lacosamide even if you feel better. Discontinuing suddenly may worsen your condition and lead to uncontrollable seizures. Therefore, use Lacosamide for as long as your doctor has prescribed it, and if you experience any difficulty while using Lacosamide, please consult your doctor.
Do not drive or use any tools or machines until you know how Lacosamide affects you as it may cause dizziness or blurred vision.
If you missed a dose of Lacosamide, take it within first 6 hours of the scheduled dose. However, if you have forgotten a dose for more than the first 6 hours of the scheduled dose, skip the missed dose and take the next scheduled dose in the prescribed time. Do not double the dose to make up for the forgotten one as this may increase the risk of side effects.
No, Lacosamide is not a habit-forming medicine.
There have been no reports of Lacosamide affecting fertility in either males or females. However, if you have any concerns, please consult a doctor.
Lacosamide is usually not recommended for use during pregnancy or breastfeeding. However, seek doctor’s advice if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Caution is advised if you are taking Lacosamide while on Ritonavir therapy. It is recommended that you inform your doctor before starting Lacosamide. This is because if you are taking Ritonavir for kidney or liver problems then the dose of Lacosamide needs to be adjusted or reduced.
It is highly recommended to avoid alcohol while taking Lacosamide. Alcohol can make side effects like dizziness and sleepiness much worse, and it can also increase your risk of having a seizure. Talk to your doctor if you have concerns about this.
No, Lacosamide does not cure epilepsy. It works to control and prevent your seizures for as long as you continue to take it. To keep your seizures under control, you must take it every day. Talk to your doctor about your long-term treatment plan.
No, you should never stop taking Lacosamide without consulting your doctor first, even if your seizures have completely stopped. Stopping this medicine suddenly can cause severe and frequent seizures. Talk to your doctor about how to safely adjust or stop your treatment.
Weight gain is not a common side effect of Lacosamide, but some people may notice changes in appetite or weight. If you experience unexpected weight changes while taking this medicine, talk to your doctor.
Lacosamide starts working in your body soon after you take it, but it may take several days or weeks of gradually increasing the dose to find the amount that fully controls your seizures. Talk to your doctor if you do not notice any improvement.
Yes, feeling sleepy, tired, or dizzy is a common side effect of Lacosamide, especially when you first start taking it or when your dose is increased. Avoid driving or operating machinery until you know how this medicine affects you. Talk to your doctor if this sleepiness persists.
If you vomit shortly after taking Lacosamide, do not take an extra dose without guidance. Taking another dose could lead to an accidental double dose. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist to get specific advice on what to do.
