Drug Detail:Aptiom (Eslicarbazepine [ es-li-kar-baz-e-peen ])
Generic Name: ESLICARBAZEPINE ACETATE 200mg
Dosage Form: tablet
Drug Class: Dibenzazepine anticonvulsants
Important Administration Instructions
Instruct patients to administer APTIOM either as whole or as crushed tablets. Instruct patients to take APTIOM either with or without food. The APTIOM dosing regimen depends on age, weight, and renal function.
General Dosing Recommendations
Adult Patients
The recommended initial dosage of APTIOM is 400 mg administered orally once daily. For some patients, treatment may be initiated at 800 mg once daily if the need for seizure reduction outweighs an increased risk of adverse reactions during initiation [see Adverse Reactions (6.1)]. Dosage should be increased in weekly increments of 400 mg to 600 mg, based on clinical response and tolerability, to a recommended maintenance dosage of 800 mg to 1600 mg once daily. For patients on APTIOM monotherapy, the 800 mg once daily maintenance dose should generally be considered in patients who are unable to tolerate a 1200 mg daily dose. For patients on APTIOM adjunctive therapy, the 1600 mg daily dose should generally be considered in patients who did not achieve a satisfactory response with a 1200 mg daily dose.
Pediatric Patients (4 to 17 Years of Age)
In pediatric patients 4 to 17 years of age, the recommended dosing regimen is dependent upon body weight and is administered orally once daily. The recommended initial dosage of APTIOM is shown in Table 1. Dosage should be increased based on clinical response and tolerability, no more frequently than once per week. Titration increments should not exceed those shown in Table 1. The daily maintenance dosage should not exceed the maintenance dosage for each body weight range shown in Table 1.
| Body Weight Range | Initial and Maximum Titration Increment Dosage (mg/day) | Maintenance Dosage (mg/day) |
| 11 to 21 kg | 200 | 400 to 600 |
| 22 to 31 kg | 300 | 500 to 800 |
| 32 to 38 kg | 300 | 600 to 900 |
| more than 38 kg |
400 | 800 to 1200 |
Dosage Modifications with Other Antiepileptic Drugs
Some adverse reactions occur more frequently when patients take APTIOM adjunctively with carbamazepine [see Warnings and Precautions (5.6)]. However, carbamazepine reduces the plasma concentration of eslicarbazepine [see Drug Interactions (7.1)]. When APTIOM and carbamazepine are taken concomitantly, the dose of APTIOM or carbamazepine may need to be adjusted based on efficacy and tolerability. For patients taking other enzyme-inducing AEDs (i.e., phenobarbital, phenytoin, and primidone), higher doses of APTIOM may be needed [see Drug Interactions (7.1)].
APTIOM should not be taken as an adjunctive therapy with oxcarbazepine.
Dosage Modifications in Patients with Renal Impairment
In patients with moderate and severe renal impairment (i.e., creatinine clearance < 50 mL/min), the initial, titration, and maintenance dosages should generally be reduced by 50%. Titration and maintenance dosages may be adjusted according to clinical response [see Use in Specific Populations (8.6) and Clinical Pharmacology (12.3)].
Patients with Hepatic Impairment
Dose adjustments are not required in patients with mild to moderate hepatic impairment. Use of APTIOM in patients with severe hepatic impairment has not been studied, and use in these patients is not recommended [see Use in Specific Populations (8.7) and Clinical Pharmacology (12.3)].
