Category Archive

Treatment (Pharmaceutical)

Epilepsy Ontario urging people to check Zarontin capsules after defects reported

September 30, 2016

By Deron Hamel Epilepsy Ontario is urging people taking 250-mg soft-gel capsules of the anti-seizure medication Zarontin (ethosuximide) to closely scrutinize their capsules to ensure they are not defective, following a warning issued by Erfa Canada 2012 Inc. and Health Canada. Erfa Canada 2012 Inc., the company that manufactures Zarontin, and Health Canada have received…

Gov’t needs to take a proactive response to stem drug shortages: Epilepsy Ontario

May 19, 2016

By Deron Hamel One of the greatest frustrations Epilepsy Ontario deals with during shortages of seizure-control medications is when impending drug shortages are identified but Health Canada and the provincial drug programs do nothing to try to prevent them, says Suzanne Nurse. Nurse, Epilepsy Ontario’s director of information and client services, says that 2016 has…

Divalproex sodium shortage expected to end soon, but that doesn’t curb family’s anxiety

March 17, 2016

By Deron Hamel Although a multifaceted effort is underway to end a  severe  shortage of divalproex sodium (Epival), a commonly used anti-seizure drug, the anxiety created by the limited amount of the lifesaving medication lingers, says Lynda Bowyer. Bowyer, whose 21-year-old daughter takes Epival to control her seizures, says this is the first time her…

Seizure medication shortages create anxiety and stress for families

February 18, 2016

By Deron Hamel Tina Smith has seen the negative impact seizure medication shortages have on people living with epilepsy and their families – she and her son, Nicholas, have lived through it more than once. Fifteen-year-old Nicholas had his first tonic-clonic seizure at seven. In 2009, Nicholas was diagnosed with epilepsy. During the next several…