Celontin

Celontin is a prescription medicine used to treat absence (petit mal) seizures. Celontin belongs to a group of drugs called anticonvulsants. It works by decreasing abnormal electrical signaling in the brain.

Celontin is a prescription medicine used to treat absence (petit mal) seizures.  Symptoms include a short loss of awareness where the person may stare straight ahead and not respond to others.

• Parke Davis, Division of Pfizer, Inc.

• Parke-Davis Div of Pfizer Inc

Celontin can cause serious side effects. See "Drug Precautions" section.

The most common side effects of Celontin include:

• drowsiness
• dizziness
• headache
• blurred vision
• nausea or vomiting
• constipation
• diarrhea
• weight loss
• problems with walking and coordination (unsteadiness)
• stomach pain
• loss of appetite

Tell your healthcare provider about any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

These are not all the possible side effects with Celontin. For more information, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Tell your doctor about all the medications you take including prescription and non-prescription medications, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take:

• other antiepileptic (anticonvulsant) drugs
• phenytoin
• phenobarbital

This is not a complete list of Celontin drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Do not take Celontin if you are allergic to succinimides (Celontin or ethosuximide) or any of the other ingredients in it. 

Do not stop taking Celontin without first talking to your healthcare provider. Stopping Celontin suddenly can cause serious problems.

Celontin can cause serious side effects, including:

• Rare but serious blood problems that may be life-threatening. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have:
  • fever, swollen glands, or sore throat that come and go or do not go away
  • frequent infections or an infection that does not go away
  • easy bruising
  • red or purple spots on your body
  • bleeding gums or nose bleeds
  • severe fatigue or weakness

• Systematic Lupus Erythematosus. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms:
  • joint pain and swelling
  • muscle pain
  • fatigue
  • low-grade fever
  • pain in the chest that is worse with breathing
  • unexplained skin rash

• Like other antiepileptic drugs, Celontin may cause suicidal thoughts or actions in a very small number of people, about 1 in 500.

Call a healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms, especially if they are new, worse, or worry you:

• thoughts about suicide or dying
• attempts to commit suicide
• new or worse depression
• new or worse anxiety
• feeling agitated or restless
• panic attacks
• trouble sleeping (insomnia)
• new or worse irritability
• acting aggressive, being angry, or violent
• acting on dangerous impulses
• an extreme increase in activity and talking (mania)
• other unusual changes in behavior or mood

Watch for early symptoms of suicidal thoughts and actions:

• Pay attention to any changes, especially sudden changes, in mood, behaviors, thoughts, or feelings.
• Keep all follow-up visits with your healthcare provider as scheduled.

Call your healthcare provider between visits as needed, especially if you are worried about symptoms. Suicidal thoughts or actions can be caused by things other than medicines. If you have suicidal thoughts or actions, your healthcare provider may check for other causes.

Medications can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of Celontin, there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving this medication.

Before you take Celontin, tell your healthcare provider if you:

• have or have had liver problems
• have or have had depression, mood problems or suicidal thoughts or behavior
• have any other medical conditions
• are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if Celontin can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you become pregnant while taking Celontin. You and your healthcare provider will decide if you should take Celontin while you are pregnant.
• are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if Celontin can pass into breast milk. You and your healthcare provider should decide how you will feed your baby while you take Celontin.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. 

Tell your healthcare provider if you 

• are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if Celontin can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you become pregnant while taking Celontin. You and your healthcare provider will decide if you should take Celontin while you are pregnant.

  • If you become pregnant while taking Celontin, talk to your healthcare provider about registering with the North American Antiepileptic Drug (NAAED) Pregnancy Registry. The purpose of this registry is to collect information about the safety of antiepileptic drugs during pregnancy. You can enroll in this registry by calling 1-888-233-2334.

Tell your healthcare provider if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if Celontin can pass into breast milk. You and your healthcare provider should decide how you will feed your baby while you take Celontin.

Take Celontin exactly as prescribed. Your healthcare provider will tell you how much Celontin to take.

• Your healthcare provider may change your dose. Do not change your dose of Celontin without talking to your healthcare provider.
• If you take too much Celontin, call your healthcare provider or your local Poison Control Center right away.

What you should avoid while taking Celontin:

• Do not drink alcohol or take other medicines that make you sleepy or dizzy while taking Celontin without first discussing this with your healthcare provider. Celontin taken with alcohol or medicines that cause sleepiness or dizziness may make your sleepiness or dizziness worse.
• Do not drive, operate heavy machinery, or do other dangerous activities until you know how Celontin affects you. Celontin can slow your thinking and motor skills.

A suggested dosage schedule is 300 mg per day for the first week. If required, dosage may be increased thereafter at weekly intervals by 300 mg per day for the three weeks following to a daily dosage of 1.2 g.

Therapy with Celontin must be individualized according to the response of each patient. The best dosage is the lowest amount of Celontin that controls seizures so that side effects may be kept to a minimum.

If you take too much Celontin, call your healthcare provider or your local Poison Control Center right away.

• Store Celontin at room temperature, between 59°F to 86°F (15°C to 30°C).
• Keep Celontin capsules in a dry place.
• Keep Celontin out of the light.
• Protect Celontin from heat.
• Do not use Celontin capsules that if they do not look full or if the contents have melted.

Keep Celontin and all medicines out of the reach of children.