Fycompa Dosage/Direction for Use

Posology: Adults and adolescents: Fycompa must be titrated, according to individual patient response, in order to optimise the balance between efficacy and tolerability.
Fycompa should be taken orally once daily at bedtime.
Partial-Onset Seizures: Fycompa at doses of 4 mg/day to 12 mg/day has been shown to be effective therapy in partial-onset seizures.
Treatment with Fycompa should be initiated with a dose of 2 mg/day. The dose may be increased based on clinical response and tolerability by increments of 2 mg (either weekly or every 2 weeks as per half-life considerations described as follows) to a maintenance dose of 4 mg/day to 8 mg/day. Depending upon individual clinical response and tolerability at a dose of 8 mg/day, the dose may be increased by increments of 2 mg/day to 12 mg/day. Patients who are taking concomitant medicinal products that do not shorten the half-life of Fycompa (see Interactions) should be titrated no more frequently than at 2-week intervals. Patients who are taking concomitant medicinal products that shorten the half-life of Fycompa (see Interactions) should be titrated no more frequently than at 1-week intervals.
Primary Generalised Tonic-Clonic Seizures: Fycompa at a dose up to 8 mg/day has been shown to be effective in primary generalised tonic-clonic seizures.
Treatment with Fycompa should be initiated at a dose of 2 mg/day. The dose may be increased based on clinical response and tolerability by increments of 2 mg (either weekly or every 2 weeks, as per half-life considerations described as follows) to a maintenance dose of up to 8 mg/day. Depending upon individual clinical response and tolerability at a dose of 8 mg/day, the dose may be increased up to 12 mg/day, which may be effective in some patients (see Precautions). Patients who are taking concomitant medicinal products that do not shorten the half-life of Fycompa (see Interactions) should be titrated no more frequently than at 2-week intervals. Patients who are taking concomitant medicinal products that shorten the half-life of Fycompa (see Interactions) should be titrated no more frequently than at 1-week intervals.
Withdrawal: It is recommended that discontinuation be undertaken gradually to minimise the potential for rebound seizures. However, due to its long half-life and subsequent slow decline in plasma concentrations, Fycompa can be discontinued abruptly if absolutely needed.
Missed doses: Single missed dose: As Fycompa has a long half-life, the patient should wait and take their next dose as scheduled.
If more than 1 dose has been missed, for a continuous period of less than 5 half-lives (3 weeks for patients not taking Fycompa metabolism-inducing anti-epileptic drugs (AED), 1 week for patients taking Fycompa metabolism-inducing AEDs (see Interactions)), consideration should be given to re-start treatment from the last dose level.
If a patient has discontinued Fycompa for a continuous period of more than 5 half-lives, it is recommended that initial dosing recommendations given previously should be followed.
Elderly (65 years of age and above): Clinical studies of Fycompa in epilepsy did not include sufficient numbers of subjects aged 65 and over to determine whether they respond differently from younger subjects. Analysis of safety information in 905 Fycompa-treated elderly subjects (in double-blind studies conducted in non-epilepsy indications) revealed no age-related differences in the safety profile. In combination with the lack of age-related difference in Fycompa exposure, the results indicate that dose-adjustment in the elderly is not required. Fycompa should be used with caution in elderly taking into account the drug interaction potential in polymedicated patients (see Precautions).
Renal impairment: Dose adjustment is not required in patients with mild renal impairment. Use in patients with moderate or severe renal impairment or patients undergoing haemodialysis is not recommended.
Hepatic impairment: Dose increases in patients with mild and moderate hepatic impairment should be based on clinical response and tolerability. For patients with mild or moderate hepatic impairment, dosing can be initiated at 2 mg. Patients should be up-titrated using 2 mg doses no faster than every 2 weeks based on tolerability and effectiveness.
Fycompa dosing for patients with mild and moderate impairment should not exceed 8 mg. Use in patients with severe hepatic impairment is not recommended.
Paediatric population: The safety and efficacy of Fycompa in children below 12 years of age have not been established yet. No data are available.
Method of administration: Fycompa should be taken as single oral dose at bedtime. It may be taken with or without food (see Pharmacology: Pharmacokinetics under Actions). The tablet should be swallowed whole with a glass of water. It should not be chewed, crushed or split. The tablets cannot be split accurately as there is no break line.