How much ethosuximide is too much?
The maximum dose of ethosuximide in adults is 1.5 grams/day.
Can you overdose on ethosuximide?
Acute overdoses may produce nausea, vomiting, and CNS depression including coma with respiratory depression. A relationship between ethosuximide toxicity and its plasma levels has not been established.
What does ethosuximide do to the brain?
These drugs are often used to treat similar conditions. Ethosuximide works by reducing the number of seizures that cause you to lose consciousness. It does this by preventing your brain from reacting to things that can cause you to have a seizure.
What is the indication for ethosuximide?
Zarontin is indicated for the control of absence (petit mal) epilepsy. Zarontin is administered by the oral route. The initial dose for patients 3 to 6 years of age is one capsule (250 mg) per day; for patients 6 years of age and older, 2 capsules (500 mg) per day.
Does ethosuximide affect learning?
As ethosuximide is a first-line therapy for absence seizures in childhood, and drug-induced cognitive impairment may interfere with development, learning, and academic achievement, these findings are of interest to clinicians who prescribe this drug, especially when informing parents.
Does ethosuximide cause behavior problems?
Ethosuximide may cause some people to be agitated, irritable, or display other abnormal behaviors. It may also cause some people to have suicidal thoughts and tendencies or to become more depressed.
Does ethosuximide cause anxiety?
What type of seizures does ethosuximide treat?
Ethosuximide is used to control absence (petit mal) seizures in patients with epilepsy. This medicine is an anticonvulsant that works in the brain tissue to stop seizures.
Why is ethosuximide used for absence seizures?
Ethosuximide lowers the threshold calcium currents (T currents) in thalamic neurons. These currents, in turn, affect the oscillatory activity of thalamocortical neurons, which are generators of the 3-Hz spike-and-wave rhythms of patients with absence epilepsy.
What happens if absence seizures go untreated?
Usually absence seizures last no longer than 15 seconds, but that loss of consciousness can make paying attention in school and learning more difficult especially when they occur multiple times a day. Children who have absence seizures may miss things throughout the day and even risk getting hurt.
Can ethosuximide make seizures worse?
This medicine may increase the chance of experiencing grand mal seizures in certain patients. Talk with your doctor if you have concerns about this risk. Ethosuximide may cause some people to be agitated, irritable, or display other abnormal behaviors.
What is the best treatment for absence seizures?
Absence seizures are treated with antiseizure medications. Ethosuximide (Zarontin®) is the preferred medication to treat absence seizures. Other medications that your healthcare provider might try include valproate (Depakene®), lamotrigine (Lamictal®) and topiramate (Topamax®).