About BANZEL (rufinamide) | Seizure Treatment Medication | BANZEL.com

About BANZEL

For parents and caregivers of patients with seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS), a good day could be measured in unlikely ways. The simplest activities are often out of reach. With fewer seizures, happiness might come from seemingly small victories.

BANZEL (rufinamide) is a prescription medication approved for the adjunctive treatment of seizures associated with LGS in children 4 years and older and adults.

BANZEL has been clinically proven to reduce seizures associated with LGS. In a clinical study of patients with LGS, who were treated with BANZEL, in addition to their existing medications, BANZEL:

  • reduced the frequency of tonic-atonic seizures (drop attacks)
  • reduced the frequency of total seizures
  • reduced the severity of seizures

Read Important Safety Information and the Medication Guide about BANZEL and discuss it with your healthcare provider.

Patient safety and comfort is a primary concern. BANZEL has the power to reduce seizures associated with LGS. Some anti-epilepsy drugs, including BANZEL, can cause a rash which can be a sign of something more serious. Talk to your healthcare professional immediately if a rash occurs. In clinical studies of epilepsy, the side effects patients commonly experienced were described as mostly mild or moderate. Side effects typically went away in a short amount of time.

Additional benefits

In addition to delivering seizure control, BANZEL:

Always follow the recommendations of your healthcare provider and follow dosing instructions exactly as prescribed.

From small victories

With control of seizures associated with LGS, BANZEL offers hope to families who are looking for fewer seizures. With more seizure control, caregivers and their loved ones can focus on the little things, the small victories. From these small victories may come hope and happiness.

Ask your healthcare provider about adding BANZEL to an existing treatment.

Important Safety Information

There are risks associated with the use of BANZEL that you should know about. We encourage you to talk to your healthcare provider about these risks.

  • Patients with a history of Familial Short QT syndrome should not be treated with BANZEL. Talk to your healthcare provider if you are unsure if this affects you or your loved one.
  • All medications to treat seizures, including BANZEL, may cause suicidal thoughts or actions in a very small number of people, about 1 in 500. Call your healthcare provider right away if you or your loved one experiences new or worsening symptoms of depression, unusual changes in mood or behavior, thoughts or actions about suicide or self-harm, aggression, agitation, anger, anxiety, or irritability.
  • Use of BANZEL has been associated with side effects such as sleepiness or feeling tired, difficulty with coordination, dizziness, and problems with walking or movement.
    • –Alcohol, in combination with BANZEL, may increase or worsen these side effects.
  • Call your healthcare provider if you or your loved one experiences a rash. This can be a sign of a more serious condition, such as multi-organ hypersensitivity reaction.
  • You or your loved one should take BANZEL only as prescribed. Do not stop taking BANZEL without first talking to your healthcare provider. Stopping BANZEL suddenly can cause serious problems.
  • Tell your healthcare provider about all the medications you or your loved one takes, including prescription and non-prescription medications, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Using BANZEL with certain medications can affect each other, causing side effects.
  • In studies, the most commonly observed (≥10%) side effects with BANZEL vs placebo (sugar pill with no medicine in it), respectively, were headache (25% vs 20%), dizziness (17% vs 10%), feeling tired (15% vs 9%), sleepiness (13% vs 9%), and nausea (11% vs 7%). Most of these side effects were mild to moderate in severity and typically went away in a short amount of time.

This Web site contains information relating to various medical conditions and treatment. Such information is provided for educational purposes only and is not meant to be a substitute for the advice of a physician or other health care professionals. You should not use this information for diagnosing a health problem or disease. In order for you to make intelligent health care decisions, you should always consult with a physician or other health care provider for you, or your loved one's, personal medical needs.

All quotes included in this Web site represent the individual experience of some doctors, some patients, and their caregivers. Individual responses to treatment may vary.

This site is intended for residents of the United States only. Any products discussed herein may have different product labeling in different countries.

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