Generic Name: clobazam (KLOE ba zam)
Brand Names: Onfi
What is clobazam?
Clobazam is a benzodiazepine (ben-zoe-dye-AZE-eh-peen). Clobazam affects chemicals in the brain that may become unbalanced and cause anxiety.
Clobazam is used in combination with other medications to treat seizures caused by Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, a severe form of childhood epilepsy that also causes developmental and behavior problems.
Clobazam may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.
What is the most important information I should know about clobazam?
You should not use clobazam if you are allergic to it.
Before taking clobazam, tell your doctor if you have kidney or liver disease, or a history of depression, suicidal thoughts, or addiction to drugs or alcohol.
You may have thoughts about suicide while taking this medication. Your doctor will need to check you at regular visits.
Report any new or worsening symptoms to your doctor, such as: mood or behavior changes, anxiety, panic attacks, trouble sleeping, or if you feel impulsive, irritable, agitated, hostile, aggressive, restless, hyperactive (mentally or physically), depressed, or have thoughts about suicide or hurting yourself. This medication may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be alert. Do not drink alcohol while taking clobazam. Clobazam may be habit-forming and should be used only by the person it was prescribed for. Keep the medication in a secure place where others cannot get to it.
What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking clobazam?
You should not take clobazam if you are allergic to it.
To make sure you can safely take clobazam, tell your doctor if you have any of these other conditions:
severe kidney disease;
liver disease;
a history of depression or suicidal thoughts or behavior; or
a history of drug or alcohol addiction.
You may have thoughts about suicide while taking this medication. Tell your doctor if you have new or worsening depression or suicidal thoughts during the first several months of treatment, or whenever your dose is changed.
Your family or other caregivers should also be alert to changes in your mood or symptoms. Your doctor will need to check you at regular visits. Do not miss any scheduled appointments.
Clobazam may be habit forming and should be used only by the person it was prescribed for. Never share clobazam with another person, especially someone with a history of drug abuse or addiction. Keep the medication in a place where others cannot get to it. FDA pregnancy category C. It is not known whether clobazam will harm an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant while using this medication. Clobazam can make birth control pills less effective. Ask your doctor about using a non-hormone method of birth control (such as a condom, diaphragm, spermicide) to prevent pregnancy while taking clobazam. Clobazam can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby. The sedative effects of clobazam may last longer in older adults. Accidental falls are common in elderly patients who take benzodiazepines. Use caution to avoid falling or accidental injury while you are taking clobazam. Clobazam should not be given to a child younger than 2 years old.
How should I take clobazam?
Take exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Do not take in larger or smaller amounts or for longer than recommended. Follow the directions on your prescription label. Your doctor may occasionally change your dose to make sure you get the best results.
You may crush the clobazam tablet and mix the medicine into a spoonful of applesauce to make swallowing easier. Swallow right away without chewing. Do not save the mixture for later use.
Do not stop using clobazam without first talking to your doctor, even if you feel fine. You may have increased seizures or unpleasant withdrawal symptoms if you stop using clobazam suddenly. You may need to use less and less before you stop the medication completely.
Use clobazam regularly to get the most benefit. Get your prescription refilled before you run out of medicine completely. Contact your doctor if your seizures get worse or you have them more often while taking clobazam.
Store at room temperature away from moisture and heat.
Keep track of the amount of medicine used from each new bottle. Clobazam is a drug of abuse and you should be aware if anyone is using your medicine improperly or without a prescription.
See also: Clobazam dosage (in more detail)
What happens if I miss a dose?
Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. Skip the missed dose if it is almost time for your next scheduled dose. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.
What happens if I overdose?
Seek emergency medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222. An overdose of clobazam can be fatal.
Overdose symptoms may include severe drowsiness, confusion, extreme weakness, fainting, and weak or shallow breathing.
What should I avoid while taking clobazam?
This medication may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be alert. Do not drink alcohol while taking clobazam.
Clobazam side effects
Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat. Report any new or worsening symptoms to your doctor, such as: mood or behavior changes, anxiety, panic attacks, trouble sleeping, or if you feel impulsive, irritable, agitated, hostile, aggressive, restless, hyperactive (mentally or physically), depressed, or have thoughts about suicide or hurting yourself. Stop using clobazam and call your doctor at once if you have a serious side effect such as:
confusion, hallucinations;
fever, chills, cough with yellow or green mucus, feeling short of breath;
feeling like you might pass out;
pain or burning when you urinate;
urinating less than usual or not at all; or
severe skin reaction -- fever, sore throat, swelling in your face or tongue, burning in your eyes, skin pain, followed by a red or purple skin rash that spreads (especially in the face or upper body) and causes blistering and peeling.
Less serious side effects may include:
drowsiness, dizziness;
feeling weak, tired, or irritable;
slurred speech, loss of balance or coordination;
appetite changes;
drooling;
sleep problems (insomnia);
constipation, vomiting, trouble swallowing;
mild fever;
dry cough.
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
Clobazam Dosing Information
Usual Adult Dose for Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome:
Clobazam should be administered in divided doses twice daily (the 5 mg dose can be administered as a single daily dose). Dose escalation should not proceed more rapidly than every 7 days and dosing within each body weight group should be individualized.
Initial total daily dose:
Body weight 30 kg or less: 5 mg orally daily
Body weight 30 kg or more: 10 mg orally daily
Starting day 7 total daily dose:
Body weight 30 kg or less: 10 mg orally daily
Body weight 30 kg or more: 20 mg orally daily
Starting day 14 total daily dose:
Body weight 30 kg or less: 20 mg orally daily
Body weight 30 kg or more: 40 mg orally daily
Usual Geriatric Dose for Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome:
Initial dose: 5 mg orally daily
Maintenance dose: Dose should be initially titrated to 10 to 20 mg orally daily
Maximum dose: After the initial titration to 10 to 20 mg orally daily, the patient may be further titrated to the maximum dose (20 to 40 mg orally daily based on weight) may be started on day 21.
Usual Pediatric Dose for Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome:
Pediatric patients 2 years and greater:
Clobazam should be administered in divided doses twice daily (the 5 mg dose can be administered as a single daily dose). Dose escalation should not proceed more rapidly than every 7 days and dosing within each body weight group should be individualized.
Initial total daily dose:
Body weight 30 kg or less: 5 mg orally daily
Body weight 30 kg or more: 10 mg orally daily
Starting day 7 total daily dose:
Body weight 30 kg or less: 10 mg orally daily
Body weight 30 kg or more: 20 mg orally daily
Starting day 14 total daily dose:
Body weight 30 kg or less: 20 mg orally daily
Body weight 30 kg or more: 40 mg orally daily
What other drugs will affect clobazam?
Before using clobazam, tell your doctor if you regularly use other medicines that make you sleepy (such as cold or allergy medicine, other sedatives, narcotic pain medicine, sleeping pills, muscle relaxers, and medicine for seizures, depression, or anxiety). They can add to sleepiness caused by clobazam.
Tell your doctor about all other medicines you use, especially:
cimetidine (Tagamet);
fluvastatin (Lescol);
indomethacin (Indocin);
probenecid (Benemid);
ropinirole (Requip);
tamsulosin (Flomax);
terbinafine (Lamisil);
ticlopidine (Ticlid);
tolterodine (Detrol);
felbamate (Felbatol) or oxcarbazepine (Trileptal);
lansoprazole (Prevacid) or omeprazole (Prilosec);
ADHD medication such as atomoxetine (Strattera), dextroamphetamine (Adderall), methylphenidate (Ritalin, Daytana, Metadate, Concerta);
any type of antidepressant;
antifungal medication such as fluconazole (Diflucan), ketoconazole (Nizoral), or voriconazole (Vfend);
anti-malaria medication such as chloroquine (Aralen), pyrimethamine (Daraprim), or quinine (Qualaquin);
cancer medicine such as doxorubicin (Adriamycin, Doxil), gefitinib (Iressa), letrozole (Femara), lomustine (CeeNU), or tamoxifen (Soltamox);
cough medicine such as dextromethorphan (Robitussin Maximum Strength, Vicks 44, and others) or dihydrocodeine (Alahist DHC, J-Max DHC, Pancof-PD, Panlor, Trezix, Welltuss EXP, and others);
heart or blood pressure medication such as amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone), captopril (Capoten), flecainide (Tambocor), metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol), nicardipine (Cardene), procainamide (Procan, Pronestyl), propafenone (Rythmol), propranolol (Inderal), quinidine (Quin-G), and others;
HIV/AIDS medication such as delavirdine (Rescriptor), efavirenz (Sustiva, Atripla), etravirine (Intelence), or ritonavir (Norvir, Kaletra);
medicine to treat psychiatric disorders, such as aripiprazole (Abilify), clozapine (Clozaril, FazaClo), haloperidol (Haldol), risperidone (Risperdal), and others; or
pain medicine such as codeine (Tylenol #3), hydrocodone (Lortab, Vicodin), oxycodone (OxyContin, Percocet), tramadol (Ultram, Ultracet), and others.
This list is not complete and other drugs may interact with clobazam. Tell your doctor about all medications you use. This includes prescription, over-the-counter, vitamin, and herbal products. Do not start a new medication without telling your doctor.
More clobazam resources
- Clobazam Side Effects (in more detail)
- Clobazam Dosage
- Clobazam Use in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
- Clobazam Drug Interactions
- Clobazam Support Group
- 0 Reviews for Clobazam - Add your own review/rating
- clobazam Advanced Consumer (Micromedex) - Includes Dosage Information
- Clobazam Professional Patient Advice (Wolters Kluwer)
- Clobazam MedFacts Consumer Leaflet (Wolters Kluwer)
- Onfi Consumer Overview
Compare clobazam with other medications
- Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome
Where can I get more information?
- Your pharmacist can provide more information about clobazam.
See also: clobazam side effects (in more detail)
No comments:
Post a Comment