Vigabatrin
Generic name: vigabatrin
Brand names: Sabril, Vigadrone
Dosage form: oral tablet, powder for oral solution
Drug class:Gamma-aminobutyric acid analogs
What is vigabatrin?
Vigabatrin is an antiepileptic or anticonvulsant drug used to treat epilepsy and infantile spasms.
Vigabatrin is thought to work by stabilizing the electrical activity in your brain and calming it. It does this by increasing the amount of an inhibitory neurotransmitter (chemical messenger) called GABA (gamma aminobutyric acid).
Vigabatrin helps to increase the amount of GABA in your central nervous system by blocking the action of an enzyme called GABA-T (GABA-transaminase), which helps to break down GABA when it is not needed.
Vigabatrin was first approved for marketing under the brand name Sabril by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2009. Since then several generic versions of the drug have come to market, including one which is sold under the brand name Vigadrone.
What is vigabatrin used for?
- Vigabatrin is a prescription medicine used along with other treatments to treat adults and children 2 years and older with complex partial seizures if:
- the complex partial seizures do not respond well enough to several other treatments, and
- you and your healthcare provider decide the possible benefit of taking vigabatrin is more important than the risk of vision loss.
Vigabatrin should not be the first medicine used to treat complex partial seizures.
- Vigabatrin is also used to treat babies 1 month to 2 years of age who have infantile spasms if you and your healthcare provider decide the possible benefits of taking vigabatrin are more important than the possible risk of vision loss.
Important information
Vigabatrin can cause serious side effects, including:
- Permanent vision loss
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) changes in babies with infantile spasms
- Risk of suicidal thoughts or actions
1. Permanent vision loss:
Vigabatrin can damage the vision of anyone who takes it. Some people can have severe loss particularly to their ability to see to the side when they look straight ahead (peripheral vision). With severe vision loss, you may only be able to see things straight in front of you (sometimes called “tunnel vision”). You may also have blurry vision. If this happens, it will not get better.
- Vision loss and use of vigabatrin in adults and children 2 years and older: Because of the risk of vision loss, vigabatrin is used to treat complex partial seizures only in people who do not respond well enough to several other medicines.
Tell your healthcare provider right away if you (or your child):
- might not be seeing as well as before starting vigabatrin.
- start to trip, bump into things, or are more clumsy than usual.
- are surprised by people or things coming in front of .
