LGS | Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome | BANZEL.com

Lennox-Gastaut syndrome

As a parent or caregiver of someone who has seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS), your first reaction is likely a need for information. You may need answers to questions like "What is LGS?" You might want to prepare yourself with enough knowledge so that you can ask the right questions of your healthcare provider.

What is Lennox-Gastaut syndrome?

LGS is a rare and severe form of epilepsy. It occurs more often in boys than girls, and usually develops before the child is 5 years old. It accounts for up to 4% of all childhood epilepsy cases.1

LGS can be caused in several ways, including problems with brain formation or brain injury. Although it has many possible causes, in 30-35% of cases no cause can be found.2

Characteristics of LGS

LGS is often difficult to spot. Healthcare providers and caregivers may not recognize LGS readily. It is often identified by the following:

  • Experiencing several seizure types and sometimes many seizures in a day
  • Delayed intellectual development
  • A distinct brain wave pattern on an EEG

Challenges of LGS

This information is meant for educational purposes, to help you understand more about the possible challenges associated with LGS and not meant to imply that BANZEL is a treatment for all of them.

No two cases have the same prognosis. However, many share the same challenges. Many of the challenges of LGS are caused by one drug being taken with another. There are no drugs thus far approved as a mono-therapy for seizures associated with LGS. It is always important to let your healthcare provider know all of the drugs (including vitamins) that your loved one is taking.

1. Everyday Health Web site, What you should know about Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. Retrieved June 4, 2009, from http://www.everydayhealth.com/childhood-epilepsy/information.aspx

2. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Web site, NINDS Lennox-Gastaut syndrome information page, Retrieved June 4, 2009, from http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/lennoxgastautsyndrome/lennoxgastautsyndrome.htm

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. BANZEL has been shown to reduce the QT interval. Caution should be used when administering BANZEL with other drugs that shorten the QT interval.
  • 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.

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