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What is Zonisamide?

Category: Prescription Drugs

Most popular types: Zonegran

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Zonisamide is an anticonvulsant drug that may be used in combination with other anti-seizure medications to treat partial seizures. 

See patients taking Zonisamide

Reported purpose & perceived effectiveness
Purpose Patients Evaluations Perceived Effectiveness
Epilepsy 1038 172
Migraine headaches 60 23
Seizures (complex partial) 51 32
Seizures 11 3
Seizures (grand mal or tonic-clonic) 10 7

Show all 60 reasons taken

  • Major
  • Moderate
  • Slight
  • None
  • Can't tell
See all 1638 patients that have taken Zonisamide

Side effects

Side effects as an overall problem

Side effects as an overall problem
Severity Evaluations Percentage
Severe 54
Moderate 54
Mild 47
None 63

Commonly reported side effects and conditions associated with Zonisamide

Side effect Patients Percentage
Decreased appetite 10
Drowsiness 8
Fatigue 8
Memory problems 8
Dizziness 6
Headaches 6

Show all 106 reported side effects

Why patients stopped taking Zonisamide

Multiple reasons could be selected

Reason Patients Percentage
Side effects too severe 55
Did not seem to work 50
Doctor's advice 44
Other 8
Expense 7
Course of treatment ended 5
Personal research 3
Change in health plan coverage 2
See all 125 patients who've stopped taking Zonisamide

Duration

Stopped taking Zonisamide

Duration Patients Percentage
Less than 1 month 32
1 - 6 months 26
6 months - 1 year 15
1 - 2 years 19
2 - 5 years 19
5 - 10 years 11
10 years or more 1
Adherence
Adherence Evaluations Percentage
Always 181
Usually 23
Sometimes 4
Never taken as prescribed 10
Burden
Burden Evaluations Percentage
Very hard to take 14
Somewhat hard to take 16
A little hard to take 27
Not at all hard to take 161
Cost per month
Cost per month Evaluations Percentage
$200+ 4
$100-199 4
$50-99 8
$25-49 15
< $25 86
Not specified 101

What people switch to and from

Patients started taking Zonisamide after stopping:

Treatment Patients Percentage
Topiramate (Topamax) 14
Lamotrigine (Lamictal) 7
Levetiracetam (Keppra) 4
Phenytoin (Dilantin) 4
Gabapentin (Neurontin) 3

Show all 14 treatments patients report switching from

Patients stopped taking Zonisamide and switched to:

Treatment Patients Percentage
Topiramate (Topamax) 3
Levetiracetam (Keppra) 2
Phenytoin (Dilantin) 2
Amitriptyline (Elavil) 1
Botulinum Toxin Type A (Botox) 1

Show all 12 treatments patients report switching to

Last updated:

17 patient evaluations for Zonisamide

Sort by: Most recent

Jan 3, 2017 (Started Oct 09, 2010)

  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for Parkinson's disease)
  • Side effects
    None
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 50 mg Daily
Cost: $100-199 monthly
  • 0 helpful marks

Dec 16, 2016 (Started Jun 30, 2016)

  • Effectiveness
    Can't tell (for epilepsy)
  • Side effects
    Severe (decreased appetite, mood swings, suicidal thoughts or urges, numbness and tingling in hands, increased anxiety, anger, depression with suicidal thoughts)
  • Adherence
    Sometimes
  • Burden
    Very hard to take
Dosage: 50 mg Twice daily
Cost: < $25 monthly

Jun 30, 2016 (Started Jun 30, 2016)

  • Effectiveness
    Can't tell (for epilepsy)
  • Side effects
    Severe (decreased appetite, mood swings, suicidal thoughts or urges, numbness and tingling in hands, increased anxiety, anger, depression with suicidal thoughts)
  • Adherence
    Sometimes
  • Burden
    Very hard to take
Dosage: 50 mg Twice daily
Cost: < $25 monthly
  • 0 helpful marks

Sep 4, 2013 (Started Aug 02, 2013)

  • Effectiveness
    Can't tell (for migraine headaches)
  • Side effects
    Moderate (depressed mood, nightmares, headaches, suicidal)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 300 mg Daily
Cost: < $25 monthly
  • 0 helpful marks
Last updated:
Showing 3 of 17 patient evaluations for Zonisamide