Spritam

treats certain types of seizures. Call your doctor if you have any changes in behavior such as aggression, anger, anxiety, mood swings, depression, irritability, or hallucinations.

Spritam Overview

Reviewed: August 5, 2015
Updated: 

Spritam is a prescription medication used to treat certain types of seizures. Spritam belongs to a group of drugs called anticonvulsants, which may work by decreasing abnormal excitement in the brain.

Spritam comes in tablet form. It is usually taken twice a day, with or without food.

Take Spritam tablet whole along with a sip of liquid. Spritam will disintegrate in your mouth with a sip of liquid. 

Common side effects of Spritam include drowsiness, weakness, and dizziness. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how Spritam affects you.

 

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  • Epilepsies, Partial
  • Epilepsy

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Spritam Cautionary Labels

precautionsprecautionsprecautionsprecautions

Uses of Spritam

Spritam is a prescription medicine taken by mouth that is used with other medicines to treat:

  • partial onset seizures in people 4 years of age and older weighing more than 20 kg (44 pounds) with epilepsy 
  • myoclonic seizures in people 12 years of age and older with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy
  • primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures in people 6 years of age and older weighing more than 20 kg with certain types of generalized epilepsy. 

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Spritam Drug Class

Spritam is part of the drug class:

Side Effects of Spritam

The most common side effects seen in people who take Spritam include:

  • sleepiness
  • weakness
  • dizziness
  • infection

The most common side effects seen in children who take Spritam include, in addition to those listed above:

  • tiredness
  • decreased appetite
  • aggression
  • irritability
  • nasal congestion

These side effects can happen at any time but happen more often within the first 4 weeks of treatment except for infection.

This is not a complete list of Spritam side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

 

Spritam Interactions

No Spritam drug interactions have been identified. However, you should tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Not all drug interactions are known or reported and new drug interactions are continually being reported.

Spritam Precautions

Like other antiepileptic drugs, Spritam may cause suicidal thoughts or actions in a very small number of people, about 1 in 500 people taking it.

Call your doctor right away if you have any of these symptoms, especially if they are new, worse, or worry you:

  • thoughts about suicide or dying
  • attempts to commit suicide
  • new or worse depression
  • new or worse anxiety
  • feeling agitated or restless
  • panic attacks
  • trouble sleeping (insomnia)
  • new or worse irritability
  • acting aggressive, being angry, or violent
  • acting on dangerous impulses
  • an extreme increase in activity and talking (mania)
  • other unusual changes in behavior or mood

How can I watch for early symptoms of suicidal thoughts and actions?

  • Pay attention to any changes, especially sudden changes, in mood, behaviors, thoughts, or feelings.
  • Keep all follow-up visits with your healthcare provider as scheduled.
  • Call your doctor between visits as needed, especially if you are worried about symptoms.

Do not stop Spritam without first talking to your doctor.

  • Stopping Spritam suddenly can cause serious problems. Stopping a seizure medicine suddenly can cause seizures that will not stop (status epilepticus).
  • Suicidal thoughts or actions can be caused by things other than medicines. If you have suicidal thoughts or actions, your healthcare provider may check for other causes.

Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms:

  • mood and behavior changes such as aggression, agitation, anger, anxiety, apathy, mood swings, depression, hostility, and irritability. A few people may get psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are really not there), delusions (false or strange thoughts or beliefs) and unusual behavior.
  • extreme sleepiness, tiredness, and weakness
  • problems with muscle coordination (problems walking and moving)
  • a skin rash. Serious skin rashes can happen after you start taking Spritam. There is no way to tell if a mild rash will become a serious reaction.

Spritam may make you drowsy or dizzy. Do not drive a car or operate machinery until you know how Spritam will affect you.

Spritam Food Interactions

Medicines can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of Spritam there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving Spritam.

Inform MD

Before taking Spritam, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions, including if you:

  • have or have had depression, mood problems or suicidal thoughts or behavior
  • have kidney problems
  • are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. It is not known if Spritam will harm your unborn baby. 
  • are breastfeeding. Spritam can pass into your milk and may harm your baby. 

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Do not start a new medicine without first talking with your doctor.

Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of them to show your doctor and pharmacist each time you get a new medicine.

Spritam and Pregnancy

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. 

It is not known if Spritam will harm your unborn baby. You and your doctor will have to decide if you should take Spritam while you are pregnant.

If you become pregnant while taking Spritam, talk to your doctor about registering with the North American Antiepileptic Drug Pregnancy Registry. You can enroll in this registry by calling 1-888-233-2334. The purpose of these registries is to collect information about the safety of Spritam and other antiepileptic medicine during pregnancy.

Spritam and Lactation

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed.

Spritam can pass into your milk and may harm your baby. You and your healthcare provider should discuss whether you should take Spritam or breast-feed; you should not do both.

Spritam Usage

Take Spritam exactly as prescribed.

Your healthcare provider will tell you how much Spritam to take and when to take it.

Spritam is usually taken 2 times each day.

Take Spritam at the same times each day.

Your healthcare provider may change your dose. Do not change your dose without talking to your healthcare provider.

Take whole Spritam tablet along with a sip of liquid. Spritam can be taken with or without food. 

Do not push the tablet through foil. The foil should be peeled away from the blister. Bend and lift upward on peel tab, pulling open the seal around the blister.

Empty the exposed tablet into a DRY HAND. Place tablet on the tongue and follow with a sip of liquid before swallowing. Spritam will disintegrate in your mouth with a sip of liquid. Spritam tablets disintegrate in the mouth on average within 11 seconds (ranging from 2-27 seconds) when taken with a sip of liquid

Spritam Dosage

Take Spritam exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully. Your doctor will determine the best dose for you.

The recommended dose range of Spritam for partial onset seizures in children weighing 20 to 40 kg is 500 mg given as twice daily dosing (250 mg twice daily) to 1500 mg (750 mg twice daily).

The recommended dose range of Spritam for the treatment of partial onset seizures in adults and children 4 years and older weighing over 40 kg: with 1000 mg/day given as twice daily dosing (500 mg twice daily) to 3000 mg (1500 mg twice daily).

The recommended dose range of Spritam for the treatment of myoclonic seizures in those with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy in adults (ages 12 years old and older) is 500 mg twice daily to 1500 mg twice daily.

The recommended dose range of Spritam for the treatment of primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures in adults and children 6 years old and older weighing over 40 kg is 500 mg twice daily to a maximum recommended dose of 1500 mg twice daily.

The recommended dose range of Spritam for the treatment of primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures in children ages 6 years and older weighing 20 to 40 kg is 250 mg twice daily to a maximum of 750 mg twice daily.

Spritam Overdose

If you take too much Spritam (more than the prescribed amount), call your local Poison Control Center or seek emergency medical attention right away.

Other Requirements

  • Store levetiracetam at room temperature, 59°F to 86°F (15°C to 30°C).
  • Keep levetiracetam and all medicines out of the reach of children.