Product Details: Sabril (Vigabatrin)

Brand Name Options - Manufacturer: Sanofi-Aventis

Description

Sabril tablets and sachets contain the active ingredient vigabatrin, which is a medicine used to treat epilepsy. It works by stabilising electrical activity in the brain.

Directions

Follow your doctor's directions. Call if you have any questions. Sabril is usually taken once or twice a day, in addition to any other seizure medicine you have been taking. You probably will be told to continue taking that medicine in the same way as usual. It's OK to take Sabril either with food or without food. Food does not affect how well it works.

Cautions

Store the tablets at room temperature and away from moisture (not in the bathroom, for instance). Be sure to take only the amount that your doctor tells you to take. If you think you've taken one or two extra pills, call your doctor. For a larger overdose, call your local poison control center or emergency room right away. Don't stop taking Sabril or change the number of tablets you take without talking to your doctor first. Stopping any seizure medicine all at once can cause serious problems.

Side Effects

Sabril (vigabatrin) typically has few unwanted side effects, because it is usually taken along with another seizure medicine, however, it can be difficult to be sure which effects result from each type of medicine. In a study of more than 2000 adults, the two most common side effects were: drowsiness (reported by 12.5%), fatigue (reported by 9%). Other side effects reported even less often included: irritability and nervousness, dizziness, headache, depression, weight gain. The side effect most often mentioned in children taking Sabril is some form of hyperactivity, which was reported in 11% of 299 children in one study. These children were also taking other seizure medicines at the same time. Problems reported in children less often included sleepiness, insomnia, weight gain, and fatigue. A few people with epilepsy have more seizures when they take Sabril. This most often happens with people who have myoclonic seizures. If side effects do not go away within several days or are really bothersome, call the doctor. Sometimes the doctor can help by changing the prescription: reducing the overall amount of Sabril, changing the amount taken at certain times, such as taking a greater proportion of the Sabril at bedtime to reduce daytime sleepiness, prescribing smaller doses, to be taken more often. No one should stop taking Sabril or change the amount they take or when they take it without their doctor's guidance. People who have just started taking Sabril (or who have just started taking a larger amount) should be careful during activities that might be dangerous, until they know whether they are having any side effects. Long-term side effects: As many as 25% of people who take Sabril over a long period develop irreversible damage to the retina that limits their field of vision (the area they can see when looking straight ahead). For this reason, special visual testing at regular intervals is often recommended

Active Ingredients

Vigabatrin