Patient Medication Information: uses, side effects, how to take - Celontin Cap 300mg
What the medication is used for:
CELONTIN® is used to control absence (petit mal) seizures when it resists treatment with other drugs.
What it does:
CELONTIN® is an anti-epileptic drug. It is used to treat epilepsy. The exact mechanism of action is not entirely understood.
When it should not be used:
DO NOT TAKE CELONTIN® if you have any of the following medical conditions:
Known allergy to methsuximide
(CELONTIN®) or any component of this medication.
- Allergy (hypersensitivity) to succinimides or components of these products.
What the medicinal ingredient is:
Methsuximide
What the non medicinal ingredients are:
Cornstarch; capsule shell: D&C Yellow No. 10, FD&C Red No. 3, FD&C Yellow No. 6 and gelatin.
What dosage forms it comes in:
Capsule, 300 mg
Before you use CELONTIN talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you:
- have liver or kidney disease
- have or have had depression, aggression, or mood problems
- have or had grand mal seizures or lupus .
- have any other medical conditions
are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. When pregnant women use anticonvulsant drugs such as CELONTIN®, there may be a higher risk of birth defects in the baby. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you become pregnant while taking CELONTIN®. You and your healthcare provider should decide if you should take CELONTIN® while you are pregnant. Talk to your healthcare provider about registering with the North American Antiepileptic Drug Pregnancy Registry. The purpose of this registry is to collect information about the safety of medicines used to treat seizures during pregnancy. You can enroll in this registry by calling 1-888-233-2334. Information on the registry can also be found on the following website: http://aedpregnancyregistry.org/.
- are breast-feeding or plan to breast-feed. CELONTIN® passes into breast milk.
Some people have thoughts of suicide or hurting themselves while taking medications to prevent seizures such as CELONTIN®. Talk to your doctor right away if this happens to you.
Driving and using machines: Before you perform tasks which may require special attention, wait until you know how you respond to CELONTIN®.
This medication has been prescribed specifically for you. Do NOT give it to anyone else. It may harm them, even if their symptoms seem to be similar to yours.
As with most medicines, interactions with other drugs are possible. Tell your doctor or pharmacist about all the medicines you take, including drugs prescribed by other doctors, vitamins, minerals, natural supplements, or ABOUT THIS MEDICATION
WARNING AND PRECAUTIONS
INTERACTIONS WITH THIS MEDICATION
IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ 
alternative medicines.
Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of them with you to show your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine.
Drugs that may interact with CELONTIN include:
Lamotrigine, an anticonvulsant drug used in the
treatment of epilepsy and bipolar disorder.
Anticonvulsivants (antiepileptic drugs) such as
phenytoin, phenobarbital or valproic acid
| You should never discontinue this medication without | |
| consulting your physician. Some conditions may become | |
| worse when the drug is suddenly stopped. Your dose may | |
| need to be gradually decreased. |
Take CELONTIN® exactly as instructed by your doctor.
It is important to keep your appointments for medical checkups.
Dosage is individualised. Your doctor will start you on a low dose and slowly increase your dose. It may take several weeks or months to reach the best dose for you and to get the full benefit from this medication. To help you remember, use it at the same time(s) each day.
CELONTIN® may be taken with or without food.
Usual Dose
300 mg a day for the first week.
If needed, the dosage can be gradually increased by the doctor to 1200 mg a day.
Missed Dose
Do not abruptly stop taking your medicine because of the risk of increasing your epileptic seizures.
If a dose is missed, you should take it as soon as you remember. If it is near the time of the next dose, skip the missed dose and resume your usual dosing schedule. Do not double the dose to catch up.
Overdose
Side effects may include:
- Nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, indigestion.
- Drowsiness, dizziness, lethargy, sedation
- Euphoria, hyperactivity
If any of these affects you severely, tell your doctor or pharmacist.
CELONTIN can cause abnormal urine and blood test results. Your doctor will decide when to perform urine and blood tests and will interpret the results.
| SERIOUS SIDE EFFECTS, HOW OFTEN THEY HAPPEN AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT THEM | ||||
| Symptom | talk to your physician or pharmacist right away | Seek emergency medical attention IMMEDIATE LY | ||
| Only in severe cases | In all cases | |||
| Uncommon | Thoughts of suicide or hurting yourself | |||
Allergic reaction (symptoms include swelling in the eyes, lips, mouth, tongue, face and throat, itching, rash, hives) | ||||
Decreased platelets in the blood, fatigue, weakness, bleeding or bruising more easily than normal, nose bleeds | ||||
In case of drug overdose, contact a health care practitioner, hospital emergency department or regional Poison Control Centre immediately, even if there are no symptoms.
SIDE EFFECTS AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT THEM
| PROPER USE OF THIS MEDICATION |
Decreased white blood cells fatigue, fever, aches, pains and flu-like symptoms | ||||
Psychotic disorders Hallucinations (hearing things that are not there), psychosis aggression | ||||
Severe skin rash that causes blistering | ||||
Pain and inflammation of the joints | ||||
Porphyria (abdominal pain,light sensitivity causing rashes, blistering or scaring of the skin, seizures, mental disturbances or nerve damage) | ||||
Ataxia Lack of voluntary coordination of muscle movements |
This is not a complete list of side effects. For any unexpected effects while taking CELONTIN®, contact your doctor or pharmacist.
Do NOT keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed. Any outdated or unused medicine should be returned to your pharmacist.
Keep the capsules in a dry place at normal room temperature (15°C- 30°C) in the packaging that they come in.
Keep out of reach and sight of children.
This document plus the full product monograph prepared for health professionals can be found at http://www.ECI2012.net or by contacting the sponsor, ERFA Canada 2012 Inc. at 1-888-922-3133.
Last revised: March 14th 2013.
REPORTING SUSPECTED SIDE EFFECTS
You can report any suspected adverse reactions associated with the use of health products to the Canada Vigilance Program by one of the following 3 ways:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| $ |
Report online at www.healthcanada.gc.ca/medeffect
| $ |
Call toll-free at 1-866-234-2345
| $ |
Complete a Canada Vigilance Reporting Form and:
- Fax toll-free to 1-866-678-6789, or
Mail to: Canada Vigilance Program Health Canada
Postal Locator 0701D Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0K9
Postage paid labels, Canada Vigilance Reporting Form and the adverse reaction reporting guidelines are available on the MedEffect™ Canada Web site at www.healthcanada.gc.ca/medeffect.
NOTE: Should you require information related to the management of side effects, contact your health professional. The Canada Vigilance Program does not provide medical advice.