Tiagabina para epilepsia

About tiagabine

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. With partial seizures (also called focal seizures), the burst of electrical activity is in one part of your brain and therefore you tend to have localised or 'focal' symptoms. Because different parts of the brain control different functions, your symptoms will depend on which part of your brain is affected. Partial seizures can sometimes develop into seizures which affect all of your brain. These are called secondary generalised seizures. 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. Tiagabine works alongside other antiepileptic medicines to stabilise the electrical activity of your brain. It does this by increasing the amount of a chemical in your brain, called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). This helps to prevent the seizures from occurring.

Before taking tiagabine

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 tiagabine it is important that your doctor knows:

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

• Se você tiver problemas com o funcionamento do seu fígado.

• Se você tem uma condição rara de sangue hereditária chamada 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.

How to take tiagabine

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

• Take tiagabine exactly as your doctor tells you to. Your dose will be printed on the label of the pack to remind you about what the doctor said. There are several different strengths of tiagabine tablets. 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 begin by taking one or two doses each day, and this may gradually increase to two or three doses a day as your dose becomes fixed.

• It is important you 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.

• Swallow the tablet with a drink of water. You should take tiagabine with, or straight after, a meal or a snack.

• Se você esquecer de tomar uma dose, tome-a assim que se lembrar. Se, ao se lembrar, já estiver quase na hora da próxima dose, tome a próxima dose no horário habitual, mas pule a dose esquecida. Não tome duas doses juntas para compensar uma dose esquecida.
  

Obtendo o máximo do seu tratamento

• 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.

• Tente manter suas consultas regulares com seu médico. Isso é para que seu médico possa verificar seu progresso.

• 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.

• Pessoas com epilepsia devem parar de dirigir inicialmente. Seu médico irá aconselhá-lo sobre quando poderá ser possível começar a dirigir novamente. Isso geralmente será após um ano sem convulsões.

• Se você consome álcool, peça orientação ao seu médico. Seu médico pode aconselhá-lo a não beber álcool enquanto estiver tomando este medicamento.

• Different formulations of some antiepileptic medicines can act in a slightly different way in your body. Because of this, your doctor may recommend that you continue to take tiagabine 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.

• Se você comprar qualquer medicamento, verifique com um farmacêutico se eles são adequados para você tomar junto com sua medicação antiepiléptica.

• Many antiepileptic medicines can harm an unborn child. If you are a woman, make sure you have discussed with your doctor which types of contraception are suitable for you and your partner. If you want to have a family, discuss this with your doctor so that you can be given advice from a specialist antes you become pregnant.

• You need to take tiagabine 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.

Can tiagabine cause problems?

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 tiagabine. 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 causados pelos comprimidos, fale com seu médico ou farmacêutico para mais orientações.

How to store tiagabine

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

• Store in a cool, dry place, away from direct heat and light. Keep the tablets in their original bottle until you are ready to take them. This is because they absorb moisture from the air and there is a drying agent in the bottle to help prevent this.
  

Informações importantes sobre todos os medicamentos