What is Trileptal? Taking Trileptal To Treat Seizures

By - 2006-10-31 - Viewed 3613 times. Find more articles like this in our Drugs category.

Small - Big

Email article       Print

What is Trileptal?

Trileptal is a brand name for oxcarbazepine, an anti-convulsant, and mood stabilizing drug that is meant for treating epilepsy (recurrent seizures) and bipolar disorders (manic-depressive illness).

Clinical studies show TRILEPTAL has been proven to control partial seizures both on it's own (monotherapy, for adults) and in conjunction with other antiseizure medications (adjunctive therapy, for adults and children as young as 4 years of age). During these studies, many patients taking TRILEPTAL experienced significantly fewer seizures.

Trilepatal is an anti-epileptic drug used orally and is available as 150 mg, 300 mg and 600 mg film-coated, time release tablets used primarily in the treatment of epilepsy and bipolar disorder.

Being an anticonvulsant and mood stabilizing drug oxcarbazepine (marketed as Trileptal) works by slowing down abnormal nerve impulses in the brain. Oxacarbazepine is quickly reduced in the liver by cytosolic enzymes to a 10-monohydroxy metabolite, MHD, which is basically responsible for the pharmacological effect of Trileptal.

For many patients, other antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) usually have troubling side effects, including gum problems, unusual hair growth, difficulty concentrating or thinking, changes in facial features, rash or weight gain.

In clinical studies, TRILEPTAL monotherapy has caused a very small amount of side effects. For many, these side effects were no more prevailant with TRILEPTAL than with placebo (a sugar pill that is used in clinical studies).

Oxcarbazepine

Oxicarbazepine is structurally a derivative of carbamazepine. The difference is that Trileptal prevents anemia and reduces the invasion on the liver as it breaks down the drug.

Patients using other antiseizure drugs often need to undergo regular blood tests to check for blood or liver enzyme abnormalities. With TRILEPTAL, this monitoring is not needed.

The anticonvulsant was first synthesized in 1966, and it was granted approval for use in the US in 2000. Denmark in 1990, in Spain in 1993, in Portugal in 1997, in the EU countries in 1999.

Trileptal is recommended for adjunctive therapy or immunotherapy to treat partial seizure epilepsy in children ages 4-16 and adults.

Don't neglect to inform your physician of all medical conditions before beginning treatments with Trileptal. This drug can lead to a reduction of sodium from the blood. As time goes by, sodium loss if not treated may lead to convulsions, coma, and even death. If you have a kidney disease you can safely still use the drug at a reduced dosage.

TRILEPTAL is also easy to use.

Taken twice each day - rather than three or four times a day with other drugs.

Drinking alcoholic beverages while being under the treatment can raise the sedative effects of Trileptal. Because its side effects may slow your reactions, be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be wide awake

It is believed that Teriptal can cause serious birth defects as it passes into breast milk. Avoid breastfeeding while taking this medication.

Trileptal is currently approved in more than 60 countries worldwide

Like most other medications Trileptal can also cause adverse reactions different for each individual. Some of them may include:

nausea

vomiting

dizziness

blurred or double vision

hyponatremia tremor

uncoordinated muscle movement

weakness

headache

involuntary movement of the eyeballs

abnormal walk

Trileptal has an amazing record of effective seizure control with favorable tolerability and safety as monotherapy in adults. And wonderfully the benefits of Trileptal monotherapy can be expanded to children as young as four years of age.

Trileptal (Oxcarbazepine) is approved for monotherapy in children suffering from epilepsy.

Trileptal is the pioneer antiepileptic drug (AED) to be approved as a monotherapy in children since 1978. Any Trileptal overdose can cause serious consequences. Contact the nearest Hospital and seek immediate medical attention if you overdose.

Trileptal benefits far exceed the side effects. Treating seizures with one medication is preferred as it usually means fewer side effects and improved compliance.

Seizures come about because of an abnormal firing of neurons in the brain causing abrupt changes in motor activity and sense perception. There are two main classes of seizures officially identified, namely focal (partial) seizures and generalized seizures. Trileptal is used primarily for the treatment of partial seizures. It works by decreasing the neural impulses of the affected nerve cells.

Trileptal is a clinically proven medication for controlling partial seizures in adults and in children even as young as 4 years old. In such cases, Trileptal was found to be effective both by itself (as in monotherapy), and in combination with other anti-seizure drugs (adjunctive therapy). Moreover, patients who were administered this medicine experienced significantly fewer seizures. Thus, it was concluded that Trileptal could help in lowering the frequency of partial seizures.

Partial seizures occur when a group of nerve cells starts firing their impulses abnormally within one hemisphere of the brain. Whether it's a simple or complex partial seizure depends on the alertness level or wakefulness of the patient when the seizure takes hold. Trileptal is also useful in adjunctive therapy for children of 2 years of age and older who suffer epilepsy.

Trileptal comes in tablets form of 150mg, 300mg, and 600mg. Trileptal can be taken either with food or on an empty stomach. Take it with a full glass of water. Do not drink alcohol while on this medication, as this will not only induce sleepiness, it will enhance the risk of seizure. Do not drive or operate dangerous machinery until you are sure of how exactly Trileptal will be affecting these activities. So, if you find yourself getting dizzy, drowsy, having blurred vision, or poor coordination, abort such activities.

Generally, mild to moderately severe side effects that you would need to be aware of include dizziness, sleepiness, double vision, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, incoordination, abnormal vision, abdominal pain, tremor, indigestion, and abnormal gait. For children, they have additional side effects of getting infections and infestations.

Occasionally a condition termed as hyponatremia (low plasma sodium levels) is observed in patients treated with Trileptal. This is usually accompanied by feelings of severe fatigue, and in this case, the blood sodium levels will have to be tested and monitored. Additional side effects of this condition include a craving for salty food, for example, potato chips.

Your doctor should also be informed if in the past you have taken the epilepsy drug, carbamazepine. 25-30% of patients who have experienced allergic reactions to carbamazepine may react similarly to Trileptal. Thus, if you developed serious skin reactions after taking this medicine, consult your doctor immediately. Patients who are on birth control pills may need other forms of contraceptives, as this medicine will make the pills less effective.

It is highly recommended that you carry or wear a medical identification tag to let others know that you are taking this medicine in case of an emergency.

Disclaimer: This article should not be substituted for medical advice. Please talk to a qualified professional for more information about Trileptal.

You can print this article by clicking the printer icon at the top this of page.

Ask, answer questions or add more facts concerning "What is Trileptal? Taking Trileptal To Treat Seizures" below.
Your comment will NOT show up right away, it will be sent for approval before it will appear here. Please bookmark this page so you can check back for possible replies and answers to your questions.