General Information: Zarontin is an anticonvulsant used primarilyto treat absence (petit mal) seizures. Convulsive attacks, such as grand mal orfocal seizures, do not usually respond well to this drug, although an occasionalchild with partial complex (psychomotor) seizures will be benefited.

Formulations: Zarontin is available in the following formulations:

• 250 mg/5 ml liquid suspension
• 250 mg capsule

Dosage: The usual dosage of Zarontin is 20-40 mg/kilogram of bodyweight per day. Zarontin is usually taken two times a day.

Therapeutic Drug Levels: The plasma level of Zarontin found to preventseizures in most people is between 40-100 mcg/ml.

Side Effects: All drugs may have side effects. Children taking Zarontin may experiencedizziness, drowsiness, sleep disturbances, mild to moderate behavior changes,stomachache, nausea, decreased appetite, or rashes. The most common side effectsare stomachache or nausea, which occurs soon after taking the drug. TakingZarontin with food or milk and changing the overall dosage from twice a day tothree times a day can sometimes stop these side effects. If the stomachdiscomfort is severe enough, the drug may be discontinued and a differentmedication will be used.

On rare occasions, Zarontin can decrease the blood cell count. Even morerarely, Zarontin may cause a certain type of kidney dysfunction or cause abnormalliver studies.

Toxic symptoms are symptoms experienced when the blood Zarontin levelis too high. Toxic symptoms of Zarontin may produce nausea, vomiting, orpsychotic and paranoid symptoms. If your child experiences these symptoms youshould call your neurologist.

Common Labs: Zarontin is usually very well tolerated and effective forabsence seizures. If there are problems with the medication a Zarontin level maybe checked.

Drug Interactions: Zarontin may interact with other drugs, includingother antiepileptic drugs. Inform your neurologist if your child is taking anyother medications. Your pharmacist can often tell you if there are any knowndrug interactions between the medications your child takes.

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