The way you move, act, or feel can change during a seizure. You might get confused and may not be aware of what’s going on around you. Each type of seizure causes different symptoms. That’s why it’s important for your doctor to find out what type of seizure you have.

What is a seizure?

A seizure comes from uncontrolled electrical activity in the brain. It can affect how you feel, move, act, or think for a brief period of time.

What may cause a seizure to happen?

Some people’s seizures may have triggers—certain things that cause their seizures to happen. Trying to learn your triggers is an important part of understanding your seizures.

Triggers can happen because of:

Certain times

  • Specific times of day or night

  • Times of fever or illness

  • In women, around the menstrual cycle or other hormonal changes

Certain stimuli or substances

  • Stress

  • Drinking alcohol

  • Flashing bright lights or patterns

  • Specific foods or products

  • Too much caffeine

  • Illicit drug use

Physical health and care

  • Not taking medication

  • Not eating well—low blood sugar

  • Not getting enough sleep

Know your
seizure type

SEIZURES WITH CONVULSIONS

Partial-onset
seizures that
secondarily
generalize
Primary generalized
tonic-clonic seizures
> Start on one side of the brain and spread to the other
> Start on both
sides of the brain
at the same time

  • Symptoms usually last 1 to 2 minutes

  • Happen without warning

  • Stiffening or jerking movements can be strong or forceful

  • Loss of consciousness,
    falling to the floor

  • Breathing can be temporarily impaired

  • No memory of the event happening

SEIZURES
WITHOUT CONVULSIONS

Partial-onset seizures (also called focal onset seizures). Includes simple partial seizures and complex partial seizures

> Happen in one part
of the brain

  • Symptoms usually last less than 2 minutes

  • Experiences can vary depending on where in the brain the seizure occurs

  • Stiffening or jerking movements

  • Changes in smell, taste, and hearing

  • Strange sensations in the body can occur or affect how people think or experience events

  • Sometimes memory is lost

Ask your doctor if you’re not sure what kind of seizures you have.

What are breakthrough seizures?

Some people take medication but continue to have seizures. When this happens, the seizures are called “breakthrough seizures.” Everyone has different responses to each medication.

If you experience partial-onset seizures with or without secondary generalization, or experience primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures and need additional control, ask your doctor if FYCOMPA may be right for you.

FYCOMPA® is approved to treat:

SEIZURES WITH CONVULSIONS

Partial-onset seizures that secondarily generalize*

Primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures†

SEIZURES WITHOUT CONVULSIONS

Partial-onset seizures that do not secondarily generalize*

*Taken with another antiseizure medication or alone for patients 4 years of age and older.

†Taken with another antiseizure medication for patients 12 years of age and older.

FYCOMPA may
be able to help

Learn how

Find out if your
seizures are
under control

Take the quiz

USES AND IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

What is FYCOMPA (perampanel)?

FYCOMPA is a prescription medicine used alone or with other medicines to treat partial-onset seizures with or without secondarily generalized seizures in people with epilepsy aged 4 and older and with other medicines to treat primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures in people with epilepsy aged 12 and older.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

FYCOMPA may cause mental (psychiatric) problems, including:

new or worse aggressive behavior (including homicidal behavior), hostility, anger, anxiety, or irritability; being suspicious or distrustful (believing things that are not true); seeing objects or hearing things that are not there; confusion; difficulty with memory; other unusual or extreme changes in behavior or mood. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new or worsening mental problems while taking FYCOMPA.

What is FYCOMPA (perampanel)?

FYCOMPA is a prescription medicine used alone or with other medicines to treat partial-onset seizures with or without secondarily generalized seizures in people with epilepsy aged 4 and older and with other medicines to treat primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures in people with epilepsy aged 12 and older.

Like other antiepileptic drugs, FYCOMPA may cause suicidal thoughts or actions in a very small number of people, about 1 in 500. Call your 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; new or worse depression; feeling agitated or restless; trouble sleeping (insomnia); acting aggressive; being angry, or violent; an extreme increase in activity and talking (mania); attempt to commit suicide; new or worse anxiety; panic attacks; new or worse irritability; acting on dangerous impulses; other unusual changes in behavior or mood. 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.

Pay attention to any changes especially sudden changes in mood, behaviors, thoughts, or feelings and 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.

Do not stop FYCOMPA without first talking with your healthcare provider.

Stopping suddenly can cause serious problems and can cause you to have seizures more often.

Before taking FYCOMPA, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you:

have or have had depression, mood problems, aggressive or hostile behavior (for example, homicidal behavior), suicidal thoughts or behavior, or other psychiatric problems; have liver or kidney problems; drink alcohol; have abused prescription medicines, street drugs, or alcohol in the past; are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if FYCOMPA will harm your unborn baby. If you become pregnant while taking FYCOMPA, talk to your healthcare provider about registering with the North American Antiepileptic Drug Pregnancy Registry (1-888-233-2334)(1-888-233-2334); are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. Talk to your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby if you take FYCOMPA and to decide if you will take FYCOMPA or breastfeed. You should not do both.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take,

including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Taking FYCOMPA with certain other medicines can cause side effects or reduce either drug’s benefit. These medicines include: birth control, carbamazepine, phenytoin, oxcarbazepine, rifampin, and St. John’s Wort.

What should I avoid while taking FYCOMPA?

Do not drive, operate heavy machinery, or do other dangerous activities until you know how FYCOMPA affects you. FYCOMPA may make you dizzy, sleepy, or tired. Do not drink alcohol or take other medicines that make you sleepy or dizzy until you talk to your healthcare provider. FYCOMPA taken with alcohol or medicines that cause sleepiness or dizziness may make your sleepiness or dizziness worse. FYCOMPA when taken with alcohol may also make your mood worse, increase anger, confusion, and depression.

FYCOMPA may cause other serious side effects, including: Dizziness, vertigo (sense of spinning), and problems walking normally.

You may have problems walking normally if you are unsteady because you feel dizzy. These symptoms can increase when your dose of FYCOMPA is increased. Your risk of feeling dizzy and having problems walking normally may be higher if you are elderly; Sleepiness and tiredness; Increased risk of falls. Taking FYCOMPA can increase your chance of falling. These falls can cause serious injuries. Your risk of falling may be higher if you are elderly; A serious allergic reaction that may affect your skin or other parts of your body such as your liver, kidneys, heart, or blood cells. This allergic reaction can be life-threatening and can cause death. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have: a skin rash, hives; fever or swollen glands that do not go away; swelling of your face; shortness of breath; swelling of the legs; yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes; or dark urine

The most common side effects of FYCOMPA include:

dizziness; sleepiness; tiredness; irritability; falls; nausea and vomiting; weight gain; vertigo (sense of spinning); problems walking normally; problems with muscle coordination; headache; bruising; abdominal pain; anxiety

FYCOMPA is a controlled substance (CIII) because it can be abused or lead to drug dependence. Keep FYCOMPA in a safe place to protect it from theft and never give it to anyone else because it may harm them. Selling or giving away FYCOMPA is against the law.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-10881-800-FDA-1088.

media/media/ Prescribing Information and Medication Guide for FYCOMPA.