Lacsa (Lacosamide)

Dosage form:

Film coated tablets 50, 100, 150, 200 mg

What is Lacsa (lacosamide) used for?

It is used to treat seizures.

Important notes before taking Lacsa (lacosamide):

• Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you have an allergy to lacosamide or any other part of this drug. 
• Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are allergic to any drugs like this one, any other drugs, foods, or other substances. Tell your doctor about the allergy and what signs you had, like rash; hives; itching; shortness of breath; wheezing; cough; swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat; or any other signs.
• Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you have liver disease.
• Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you have a heart problem that affects the beat of your heart and you often have a particularly slow, fast or irregular heart beat (such as AV block, atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter), severe heart disease such as heart failure or have had a heart attack.

Important notes while taking Lacsa (lacosamide):

• Tell all of your health care providers that you take this drug. This includes your doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and dentists.
• Avoid driving and doing other tasks or actions that call for you to be alert until you see how Lacsa (lacosamide) affects you.
• To lower the chance of feeling dizzy or passing out, rise slowly if you have been sitting or lying down. Be careful going up and down stairs.
• As a safety precaution do not take Lacsa (lacosamide) with alcohol.
• Do not stop taking this drug all of a sudden without calling your doctor. You may have a greater risk of seizures. If you need to stop this drug, you will want to slowly stop it as ordered by your doctor.
• Talk with your doctor if abnormal heartbeats have happened.
• Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan on getting pregnant or breast-feeding. You will need to talk about the benefits and risks of using this drug.

Lacsa (lacosamide) side effects:

Even though it may be rare, some people may have very bad and sometimes deadly side effects when taking a drug. Tell your doctor or get medical help right away if you have any of the following signs or symptoms that may be related to a very bad side effect:

• Signs of an allergic reaction, like rash; hives; itching; red, swollen, blistered, or peeling skin with or without fever; wheezing; tightness in the chest or throat; trouble breathing, swallowing, or talking; unusual hoarseness; or swelling of the mouth, face, lips, tongue, or throat;
• Headache ;
• Feeling dizzy or sick (nausea) ;
• Double vision (diplopia) ;
• Problems in keeping your balance, tremor, tingling (paresthesia) or muscle spasms, falling easily and getting bruises ;
• Rapid and uncontrollable movements of the eyes (nystagmus), blurred vision ;
• Memory problems or loss;
• Fast or slow heartbeat (A heartbeat that does not feel normal) ;
• Not able to control eye movements, blurred vision ;
• Patients who take this drug may be at a greater risk of having thoughts or actions of suicide.

All drugs may cause side effects. However, many people have no side effects or only have minor side effects. Call your doctor or get medical help if any of these side effects or any other side effects bother you or do not go away:

• Dizziness ;
• Feeling sleepy ;
• Headache;
• Feeling tired or weak ;
• Blurred eyesight ;
• Upset stomach or throwing up ;
• Diarrhea ;
• Dry mouth ;
• Sweating a lot .

What do I do if I miss a dose?

If you have missed a dose within the first 6 hours of the scheduled dose, take it as soon as you remember.
If you have missed a dose beyond the first 6 hours of the scheduled dose, do not take the missed tablet anymore. Instead take Lacsa at the next time that you would normally take it.
Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose. 

How do I store and/or throw out this drug?

• Keep it out of reach of children.
• Do not use this drug after expiry date.