Tiagabine side effects

GABAergic transmission, tiagabine has sedative side effects. 

Tiagabine is an anti-convulsive medication also used in the treatment for panic disorder as are a few other anticonvulsants. It does appear to operate as a selective GABA reuptake inhibitor. Tiagabine s most common side effects include confusion, difficulty speaking clearly/stuttering and mild sedation. 

Fritz N, Glogau S, Hoffmann J, Rademacher M, Eiger CE, Helmstaedter C. Efficacy and cognitive side effects of tiagabine and topiramate in patients with epilepsy. Epilepsy Behav 2005 6(3) 373-81. 

Side effects. Probably as a consequence of its potent action on the GABAergic system, tiagabine has been shown to cause dizziness, asthenia, tremor, depressed mood and emotional lability. Diarrhoea is also a frequent occurrence. Most of these symptoms are of relatively mild intensity. 

I Adverse Effects. The most frequently reported adverse effects of tiagabine are dizziness, asthenia, nervousness, tremor, diarrhea, and depression. Rash is uncommon with tiagabine. Adverse events usually are mild to moderate in severity and transient, and most were associated with dose titration. CNS side effects may be diminished by taking tiagabine with food, thus slowing the absorption rate. Serious adverse events were uncommon, and no idiosyncratic events, including visual field defects, were reported. " ... 

Side effects are more common with tiagabine than with other adjunct drugs and most often involve the CNS. They include somnolence, headache, dizziness, tremor, abnormal thinking, depression, and psychosis. Furthermore, recent reports have implicated tiagabine in the development of nonconvulsive status epilepticus (88,89). There is an increased risk of seizure in patients being treated for off-label psychiatric indications. Tiagabine may interfere with visual color perception (90). 

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