Patient/caregiver was educated on how to take Tiagabine as follows:
- Take this medication as ordered by your physician. Do not change the dose and frequency on this medication without consulting your doctor. Take the medication dose for the duration prescribed without fail.
- Take the medication dose at the same time, every day, to avoid forgetting the intake of medication. Taking the medication at regularly spaced intervals help maintain appropriate blood levels of tiagabine needed for control of seizures.
- Tiagabine may be taken with food, as taking the medication with some food can help avoid the unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms of nausea and vomiting.
- Tiagabine intake can induce some dizziness and results in sleep. Starting tiagabine on a low dose and gradually increasing it to the desired dose can help accommodate to the dizzy symptoms. If the dizziness becomes bothersome, report it to your physician and other health care personnel, for any change in plan of care to be considered. Stay away from activities, such as, driving and operating heavy machinery, until they are used to the side effects caused by tiagabine.
- Do not take tiagabine with alcohol or opioid pain medications, such as, hydrocodone and codeine, as these products can add to the confusion caused by tiagabine. A number of OTC cough medications, antihistamines, and antianxiety medications, can potentiate the confusion caused by tiagabine and so, must be avoided taking along with tiagabine.
- Take the tiagabine regular tablet as a whole, using a glass of water. If you encounter difficulty swallowing the whole tablet, you may cut the tablet and swallow it in pieces with a glass of water. You can also crush the regular tablet and sprinkle the powder on a spoon of apple sauce or jello or pudding, to facilitate an easy swallow.
- Notify your doctor of any continuing episodes of seizures, so that, your dosage on the medication could be revised.
- Tiagabine can take some time to fairly adjust to your body and reach a therapeutic level in your blood, before preventing seizure episodes. Do not discontinue taking the medication without your physician’s consult, as you failed to see the desired result immediately after taking the medication.
- Periodical labs could be drawn to evaluate the safe therapeutic blood levels of tiagabine. Observe compliance with any lab draws ordered.
- Your physician could change the dose of tiagabine, based on the relief obtained or side-effects developed. So, maintain compliance with follow-up physician appointments, to update on the relief from symptoms. Be accommodative to the plan of dose changes, if need be, until you show an optimum response.
- Patients with history of mood disorders, secondary to tiagabine intake, can experience deterioration and worsening of symptoms of mood disorders, including suicidal thoughts. Notify your physician regarding any such worsening mood changes, so that, your dosage on the medication could be revised.
- Tiagabine only prevents the seizures from happening by reducing the excitation and rapid firing of the nerves. But, tiagabine does not fix the actual condition causing the seizures. Continue taking tiagabine as ordered, even if you experience relief from the symptoms. Abrupt discontinuation on tiagabine intake can result in recurrence of seizure episodes and life-threatening status epilepticus. Discontinuing the medication should only be on your physician’s recommendation.
- Sudden discontinuation of tiagabine intake, after prolonged use, can result in onset of severe withdrawal symptoms, such as, sleep disturbances, hallucinations, and anxiety. This can also increase the potential for recurrence of seizures and life threatening status epilepticus. Discontinuation on tiagabine use must be slow and gradual, using tapering doses.
- If you miss a dose, try taking it at the earliest notice of noncompliance. If it is time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take the dose scheduled. Do not take an extra dose to try making up for the missed dose. Notify your doctor and other health care personnel regarding your dose noncompliance.
