Free
E-newsletter
Subscribe to Housecall
Our weekly general interest
e-newsletter keeps you up to date
on a wide variety of health topics.
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Precautions
It is very important that your doctor check your or your child's progress at regular visits to allow for changes in the dose and to check for any unwanted effects.
It is important to tell your doctor if you become pregnant. Your doctor may want you to join a pregnancy registry for patients taking a seizure medicine.
This medicine may increase your risk of permanent vision loss. Check with your doctor immediately if blurred vision, difficulty in reading, or any other change in vision occurs during or after treatment. It is very important that your ophthalmologist (eye doctor) check your child's or your eyes approximately every 3 months for any visual problems.
Make sure any doctor or dentist who treats you knows that you are using this medicine. This medicine may affect the results of certain medical tests (e.g., magnetic resonance imaging or MRI).
This medicine may cause some people to be agitated, irritable, or display other abnormal behaviors. It may also cause some people to have suicidal thoughts and tendencies or to become more depressed. If you, your child, or your caregiver notice any of these side effects, tell your doctor right away.
This medicine may cause some people to become drowsy, sleepy, or weak than they are normally. Make sure you know how you react to this medicine before you drive, use machines, or do anything else that could be dangerous if you are drowsy or not alert.
Check with your doctor right away if you or your child are having burning, numbness, tingling, or painful sensations in the arms, hands, legs, or feet. These could be symptoms of a condition called peripheral neuropathy.
Tell your doctor if you or your child have increased weight or swelling in the hands, ankles, or feet while taking this medicine.
Do not suddenly stop taking this medicine without checking first with your doctor. Your doctor may want to gradually reduce the amount you are using before stopping it completely. Stopping this medicine suddenly may cause seizures.
Find Mayo Clinic on