Primidone

Primidone

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Questions & Answers

Side Effects & Adverse Reactions

The abrupt withdrawal of antiepileptic medication may precipitate status epilepticus. The therapeutic efficacy of a dosage regimen takes several weeks before it can be assessed.

Suicidal Behavior and Ideation

Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), including primidone, increase the risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior in patients taking these drugs for any indication. Patients treated with any AED for any indication should be monitored for the emergence or worsening of depression, suicidal thoughts or behavior, and/or any unusual changes in mood or behavior.

Pooled analyses of 199 placebo-controlled clinical trials (mono- and adjunctive therapy) of 11 different AEDs showed that patients randomized to one of the AEDs had approximately twice the risk (adjusted Relative Risk 1.8, 95% CI:1.2, 2.7) of suicidal thinking or behavior compared to patients randomized to placebo. In these trials, which had a median treatment duration of 12 weeks, the estimated incidence rate of suicidal behavior or ideation among 27,863 AED-treated patients was 0.43%, compared to 0.24% among 16,029 placebo-treated patients, representing an increase of approximately one case of suicidal thinking or behavior for every 530 patients treated. There were four suicides in drug-treated patients in the trials and none in placebo-treated patients, but the number is too small to allow any conclusion about drug effect on suicide.

The increased risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior with AEDs was observed as early as one week after starting drug treatment with AEDs and persisted for the duration of treatment assessed. Because most trials included in the analysis did not extend beyond 24 weeks, the risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior beyond 24 weeks could not be assessed.

The risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior was generally consistent among drugs in the data analyzed. The finding of increased risk with AEDs of varying mechanisms of action and across a range of indications suggests that the risk applies to all AEDs used for any indication. The risk did not vary substantially by age (5-100 years) in the clinical trials analyzed.

Table 1 shows absolute and relative risk by indication for all evaluated AEDs.

Table 1 Risk by indication for antiepileptic drugs in the pooled analysis
Indication Placebo
Patients with
Events Per
1000 Patients

Drug Patients with Events
Per 1000

Patients
Relative Risk:
Incidence of

Events in Drug

Patients/Incidence in

Placebo Patients
Risk Difference:
Additional Drug Patients with Events Per 1000 Patients
Epilepsy 1.0 3.4 3.5 2.4
Psychiatric 5.7 8.5 1.5 2.9
Other 1.0 1.8 1.9 0.9
Total 2.4 4.3 1.8 1.9

The relative risk for suicidal thoughts or behavior was higher in clinical trials for epilepsy than in clinical trials for psychiatric or other conditions, but the absolute risk differences were similar for the epilepsy and psychiatric indications.

Anyone considering prescribing primidone or any other AED must balance the risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior with the risk of untreated illness. Epilepsy and many other illnesses for which AEDs are prescribed are themselves associated with morbidity and mortality and an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior. Should suicidal thoughts and behavior emerge during treatment, the prescriber needs to consider whether the emergence of these symptoms in any given patient may be related to the illness being treated.

Patients, their caregivers, and families should be informed that AEDs increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior and should be advised of the need to be alert for the emergence or worsening of the signs and symptoms of depression, any unusual changes in mood or behavior, or the emergence of suicidal thoughts, behavior, or thoughts about self-harm. Behaviors of concern should be reported immediately to healthcare providers.

Usage in Pregnancy

To provide information regarding the effects of in utero exposure to primidone, physicians are advised to recommend that pregnant patients taking primidone enroll in the North American Antiepileptic Drug (NAAED) Pregnancy Registry. This can be done by calling the toll free number 1-888-233-2334, and must be done by patients themselves. Information on the registry can also be found at the website http://www.aedpregnancyregistry.org/.

The effects of primidone in human pregnancy and nursing infants are unknown.

Recent reports suggest an association between the use of anticonvulsant drugs by women with epilepsy and an elevated incidence of birth defects in children born to these women. Data are more extensive with respect to diphenylhydantoin and phenobarbital, but these are also the most commonly prescribed anticonvulsants; less systematic or anecdotal reports suggest a possible similar association with the use of all known anticonvulsant drugs.

The reports suggesting an elevated incidence of birth defects in children of drug-treated epileptic women cannot be regarded as adequate to prove a definite cause and effect relationship.

There are intrinsic methodologic problems in obtaining adequate data on drug teratogenicity in humans; the possibility also exists that other factors leading to birth defects, e.g., genetic factors or the epileptic condition itself, may be more important than drug therapy. The great majority of mothers on anticonvulsant medication deliver normal infants. It is important to note that anticonvulsant drugs should not be discontinued in patients in whom the drug is administered to prevent major seizures because of the strong possibility of precipitating status epilepticus with attendant hypoxia and threat to life. In individual cases where the severity and frequency of the seizure disorders are such that the removal of medication does not pose a serious threat to the patient, discontinuation of the drug may be considered prior to and during pregnancy, although it cannot be said with any confidence that even minor seizures do not pose some hazard to the developing embryo or fetus.

The prescribing physician will wish to weigh these considerations in treating or counseling epileptic women of childbearing potential. Neonatal hemorrhage, with a coagulation defect resembling vitamin K deficiency, has been described in newborns whose mothers were taking primidone and other anticonvulsants. Pregnant women under anticonvulsant therapy should receive prophylactic vitamin K1 therapy for one month prior to, and during, delivery.

Legal Issues

There is currently no legal information available for this drug.

FDA Safety Alerts

There are currently no FDA safety alerts available for this drug.

Manufacturer Warnings

There is currently no manufacturer warning information available for this drug.

FDA Labeling Changes

There are currently no FDA labeling changes available for this drug.

Uses

Primidone, used alone or concomitantly with other anticonvulsants, is indicated in the control of grand mal, psychomotor, and focal epileptic seizures. It may control grand mal seizures refractory to other anticonvulsant therapy.

History

There is currently no drug history available for this drug.

Other Information

Anticonvulsant

Chemical name: 5-ethyldihydro-5-phenyl-4,6 (1H,5H)-pyrimidinedione. Structural formula:

Primidone is a white, crystalline, highly stable substance, M.P. 279 -284°C. It is poorly soluble in water (60 mg per 100 mL at 37°C) and in most organic solvents. It possesses no acidic properties, in contrast to its barbiturate analog.

Each tablet, for oral administration, contains either 50 mg or 250 mg of primidone. In addition, each tablet contains the following inactive ingredients: lactose monohydrate, acacia, methylcellulose, magnesium stearate, and sodium starch glycolate.

Primidone Manufacturers


  • Marlex Pharmaceuticals Inc
    Primidone Tablet [Marlex Pharmaceuticals Inc]
  • Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd
    Primidone Tablet [Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd]
  • Global Pharmaceuticals
    Primidone Tablet [Global Pharmaceuticals]
  • Lannett Company, Inc.
    Primidone Tablet [Lannett Company, Inc.]
  • Qualitest Pharmaceuticals
    Primidone Tablet [Qualitest Pharmaceuticals]
  • Ncs Healthcare Of Ky, Inc Dba Vangard Labs
    Primidone Tablet [Ncs Healthcare Of Ky, Inc Dba Vangard Labs]
  • Major Pharmaceuticals
    Primidone Tablet [Major Pharmaceuticals]
  • Watson Laboratories, Inc.
    Primidone Tablet [Watson Laboratories, Inc.]
  • Cardinal Health
    Primidone Tablet [Cardinal Health]
  • West-ward Pharmaceutical Corp
    Primidone Tablet [West-ward Pharmaceutical Corp]
  • Avkare, Inc.
    Primidone Tablet [Avkare, Inc.]
  • Mckesson Contract Packaging
    Primidone Tablet [Mckesson Contract Packaging]
  • Stat Rx Usa Llc
    Primidone Tablet [Stat Rx Usa Llc]
  • Major Pharmaceuticals
    Primidone Tablet [Major Pharmaceuticals]
  • Amneal Pharmaceuticals
    Primidone Tablet [Amneal Pharmaceuticals]
  • Ncs Healthcare Of Ky, Inc Dba Vangard Labs
    Primidone Tablet [Ncs Healthcare Of Ky, Inc Dba Vangard Labs]
  • Physicians Total Care, Inc.
    Primidone Tablet [Physicians Total Care, Inc.]
  • Golden State Medical Supply, Inc.
    Primidone Tablet [Golden State Medical Supply, Inc.]
  • American Health Packaging
    Primidone Tablet [American Health Packaging]
  • Avpak
    Primidone Tablet [Avpak]

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