Q&A About Epilepsy Treatment

Want to know more about how to work with your neurologist? Click on a question below and get answers.

Am I seeing the right kind of doctor?
What is "seizure control"?
What is the best epilepsy treatment for me?
What is combination therapy?
How do epilepsy medicines work?
How do epilepsy medicines work together?

Am I seeing the right kind of doctor?

While most general care doctors can diagnose epilepsy, epilepsy specialists like neurologists and epileptologists are the best choice when you need treatment. If you are not seeing a neurologist or epileptologist, you can find one here.

What is "seizure control"?

Seizure control is different for everybody. The goal of treatment is freedom from seizures, with little to no side effects. For about 80% of people, seizures can be controlled with medicine and/or surgery. For you, seizure control may mean freedom from seizures or having as few seizures as possible.

What is the best epilepsy treatment for me?

Epilepsy treatment differs with your seizure type, epilepsy type, other health conditions you may have, and your own lifestyle and preferences. Decisions are made by your neurologist, but you should share in the process of deciding. This means asking about the benefits and possible side effects of epilepsy medicines or other treatments. It also involves a constant process of thinking about what works for you.

If your current epilepsy treatment is not giving you the seizure control you need, your medicine may be changed or another medicine—such as Vimpat—may become part of your treatment. Medicines like Vimpat are specifically designed to work with other epilepsy medicines. In fact, Vimpat can be used with any of the common epilepsy medicines.

What is combination therapy?

Combination therapy is when two or more medicines are used together to treat a medical condition. When people with epilepsy don’t get the seizure control they need from one medicine, research has shown that an additional medicine may help.

Vimpat plays an important part in combination therapy for many people with epilepsy. Vimpat works well with all of the most common epilepsy medicines and may help with even hard-to-treat seizures.

How do epilepsy medicines work?

Epilepsy medicines slow down the electrical signals between brain cells that can cause a seizure. Different epilepsy medicines do this in different ways. For some people, adding anothers epilepsy medicine to what you are already taking can improve seizure control. Vimpat is an epilepsy medicine that is taken with other epilepsy medicines. It also works in a completely different way from other epilepsy medicines. Vimpat works with brain cells to help them respond to a seizure. During a seizure, channels in the brain cells are opened for a longer time than usual, and allow too many electrical signals to pass through too fast.

How do epilepsy medicines work together?

The way medicines work is different for each person. Combinations of epilepsy medicines and dosages may be tried until you and your doctor find the best result for you. This is an important process to work through to help you achieve seizure control.

Next: The Facts About Epilepsy

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Over 800,000 people taking epilepsy medicine are still having seizures. Now there's hope for seizure control. Now there's Vimpat.

Indication

Vimpat^® (lacosamide) is a prescription medicine that is used with other medicines to treat partial-onset seizures in people 17 years of age and older with epilepsy.

Important Safety Information

Vimpat is generally well-tolerated, but may not be for everyone. Ask your healthcare provider if Vimpat is right for you.

Warnings and Precautions

Antiepileptic drugs, including Vimpat, may cause suicidal thoughts or actions in a very small number of people, about 1 in 500. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have new or worsening symptoms of depression, any unusual changes in mood or behavior, or suicidal thoughts, behavior, or thoughts about self harm that you have never had before or may be worse than before. Do not stop taking Vimpat without first talking to your healthcare provider. Stopping Vimpat suddenly can cause serious problems.

Vimpat may also cause you to feel dizzy, have double vision, feel sleepy, or have problems with coordination and walking. You should not drive, operate machinery or do other dangerous activities until you know how Vimpat affects you.

Vimpat may cause you to have an irregular heartbeat or may cause you to feel faint. Call your healthcare provider if you have a fast, slow, or pounding heartbeat, shortness of breath, feel lightheaded, or if you fainted or feel like you are going to faint.

Vimpat is classified as a federally controlled substance (C-V) due to a low potential for abuse. Keep your Vimpat in a safe place and do not give it to anyone else.

In rare cases, Vimpat may cause a serious allergic reaction that may affect your skin or other parts of your body such as your liver or blood cells. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have a skin rash or hives, fever or swollen glands that do not go away, shortness of breath, swelling of the legs, yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes, or dark urine.

Vimpat oral solution contains aspartame, a source of phenylalanine.

Common Adverse Reactions

The most common side effects with Vimpat are dizziness, headache, nausea, and double vision. To report Suspected Adverse Reactions, contact UCB, Inc. at 866-822-0068 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.

Please see additional patient information in the Patient Medication Guide. This information does not take the place of talking with your healthcare provider about your condition or your treatment.

VIMPAT (lacosamide) tablets injection

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