Oxcarbazepine for epilepsy

About oxcarbazepine

Ter epilepsia means that you have had more than one otherwise unexplained fit, or seizure. A seizure is a short episode of symptoms caused by a burst of abnormal electrical activity in your brain. Different parts of the brain control different functions of your body, so the symptoms that occur during a seizure will depend on where the abnormal burst of electrical activity occurs. Symptoms that may occur during a seizure can affect your muscles, sensations, behaviour, emotions, consciousness, or a combination of these. The seizures can be prevented in most people by suitable antiepileptic medication. Oxcarbazepine works by stabilising the electrical activity of your brain, which prevents the seizures from occurring.

Some medicines are not suitable for people with certain conditions, and sometimes a medicine may only be used if extra care is taken. For these reasons, before you start taking oxcarbazepine it is important that your doctor knows:

• Se você está grávida, tentando ter um bebê ou amamentando.

• If you have any problems with the way your kidneys work, or with the way your liver works.

• If you have a heart condition.

• If you have been told you have low levels of sodium in your blood.

• If you have a problem with your thyroid gland.

• Se você tem um distúrbio sanguíneo hereditário raro chamado porfiria.

• Se você estiver tomando outros medicamentos. Isso inclui quaisquer medicamentos que você esteja tomando e que estejam disponíveis para compra sem receita médica, bem como medicamentos fitoterápicos e complementares.

• Se você já teve uma reação alérgica a um medicamento.

• Before you start the treatment, read the manufacturer's printed information leaflet from inside the pack. It will give you more information about oxcarbazepine and will provide you with a full list of the side-effects which you may experience from taking it.

• Take oxcarbazepine exactly as your doctor tells you to. It is usual to start treatment on a low dose, and then for the dose to be increased gradually to a regular maintenance dose. You will be asked to take two doses every day. Doses for children are tailored to their age and weight.

• Try to take your doses at the same times of day, each day. Having a routine will help you to remember to take your doses regularly. If you have difficulties swallowing tablets whole, you can break them into halves to make them easier to swallow. Taking them with a drink of water also helps. You can take oxcarbazepine either before or after meals.

• If you (or your child) have been given oxcarbazepine oral liquid medicine, make sure you understand how to measure the correct dose using the oral syringe provided. If you are unsure, ask your doctor, nurse or pharmacist to show you.

• If you forget to take a dose, take it as soon as you remember unless it is nearly time for your next dose, in which case leave out the missed dose. Do not take two doses together to make up for a forgotten dose.
  

• Quando você inicia um novo tratamento para epilepsia, pode haver uma mudança no número ou tipo de convulsões que você experimenta. Seu médico irá aconselhá-lo sobre isso.

• Try to keep your regular appointments with your doctor. This is so your doctor can check on your progress. You may need to have blood tests from time to time.

• Different formulations and makes of oxcarbazepine can act in a slightly different way in your body. Because of this, your doctor may recommend that you continue to take oxcarbazepine from the same manufacturer each time you obtain a new supply. If so, each time you collect a prescription, check to make sure your supply looks the same and that the name is the same. If you are unsure, or if you have any questions about your prescription, please ask your pharmacist to advise you.

• If you buy any medicines, check with a pharmacist that they are suitable for you to take. This is because some medicines interfere with oxcarbazepine, and oxcarbazepine can also alter the way other medicines work.

• People with epilepsy must stop driving at first. Your doctor will advise you about when it may be possible for you to start driving again. This will usually be after a year free of seizures.

• You should avoid getting pregnant, as antiepileptic medicines can harm an unborn child. Make sure you have discussed with your doctor which types of contraception are suitable for you and your partner. Oxcarbazepine may affect how well the hormonal contraceptive pill works and additional barrier methods (condoms) are recommended. If you want to have a family, discuss this with your doctor so that you can be given advice from a specialist antes de engravidar.

• Enquanto você está sendo tratado para epilepsia, há um pequeno risco de que você possa desenvolver mudanças de humor, pensamentos angustiantes e sentimentos sobre suicídio. Se isso acontecer, você deve informar seu médico imediatamente.

• You need to take oxcarbazepine regularly every day. Do not stop taking it unless your doctor tells you to stop. Stopping treatment suddenly can cause problems and your doctor will want you to reduce your dose gradually if this becomes necessary.

• If you drink alcohol, ask your doctor for advice. Your doctor may advise you not to drink alcohol while you are on this medicine.

Along with their useful effects, most medicines can cause unwanted side-effects although not everyone experiences them. The table below contains some of the most common ones associated with oxcarbazepine. You will find a full list in the manufacturer's information leaflet supplied with your medicine. The unwanted effects often improve as your body adjusts to the new medicine, but speak with your doctor or pharmacist if any of the following continue or become troublesome.

Se você sentir quaisquer outros sintomas que acha que podem ser devido ao medicamento, fale com seu médico ou farmacêutico para mais conselhos.

• Mantenha todos os medicamentos fora do alcance e da vista das crianças.

• Armazene em local fresco e seco, longe de calor e luz diretos.

• Once a bottle of Trileptal® oral suspension has been opened, it should not be used or stored for more than seven weeks. After this time, get a new supply.