Briviact interactions: Alcohol, medications, and other factors

Before you start treatment with Briviact, tell your doctor and pharmacist which prescription, over-the-counter, and other medications you take. By sharing this information with them, you may help prevent possible interactions. (To learn whether Briviact interacts with supplements, herbs, or vitamins, see the “Briviact and other interactions” section below.)

If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Here’s a table of drugs that can interact with Briviact. Keep in mind that this table doesn’t include all drugs that may interact with Briviact. Some of these interactions are described in detail just below in “Drug interactions in depth.”

* Briviact is an antiseizure drug.
† For details about this interaction, see the “Drug interactions in depth” section below.

In some cases, factors or conditions could prevent your doctor from prescribing Briviact due to the risk of harm. These are known as contraindications. One contraindication of Briviact is:

Having had an allergic reaction to Briviact or any of its ingredients

If you have had an allergic reaction to Briviact or any of its ingredients, your doctor will likely not prescribe Briviact. Taking the drug could cause another allergic reaction. You can ask them about other treatments that may be better choices for you.

Note: Before you start treatment with Briviact, it’s important to tell your doctor if this contraindication applies to you. They can determine whether to prescribe Briviact.

Your doctor will likely recommend that you do not drink alcohol during treatment with Briviact. They’ll also typically advise you not to take any prescription or over-the-counter drugs that contain alcohol during Briviact treatment.

Consuming alcohol with Briviact may increase the effects of alcohol and worsen certain side effects of Briviact. For example, this may worsen sleepiness, dizziness, and difficulty with coordination.

If you have concerns about avoiding alcohol during treatment with Briviact, talk with your doctor before starting treatment.

Here’s a closer look at certain drug interactions of Briviact.

Certain other antiseizure drugs

As with Briviact, other antiseizure drugs are prescribed to treat seizure conditions.

Interaction result: Combining Briviact with certain antiseizure drugs could make Briviact less effective. Other antiseizure drugs may cause an increased risk of side effects if they’re taken with Briviact.

Interaction explained: Certain antiseizure drugs could speed up the breakdown of Briviact. As a result, taking these antiseizure drugs can lower the level of Briviact in your system, making Briviact less effective for your condition.

On the other hand, Briviact may slow the breakdown of certain other antiseizure drugs. Taking them with Briviact could raise the level of the other antiseizure drug in your body. This may increase your risk of side effects from the other antiseizure drug.

Examples of other antiseizure drugs: Here are some antiseizure drugs that may interact with Briviact:

• carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Tegretol, others)
• phenobarbital (Sezaby)
• phenytoin (Dilantin, Phenytek)
• primidone (Mysoline)

Steps you or your doctor may take: Your doctor can determine whether it’s safe for you to combine Briviact with other antiseizure drugs.

To learn more about combining Briviact with other antiseizure drugs, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Tricyclic antidepressants

TCAs are prescribed to treat depression and other mental health conditions.

Interaction result: Combining Briviact with a TCA could make Briviact less effective. Taking these drugs together may also increase the risk of side effects from either drug.

Interaction explained: TCAs may lower the seizure threshold, which means they could increase the likelihood of a seizure occurring. Briviact is prescribed to treat certain seizures. Combining Briviact with TCAs can make Briviact less effective for this use.

In addition, Briviact and TCAs may each cause sleepiness and dizziness when they’re taken individually. Taking these medications together further increases the risk of these side effects.

Examples of TCAs: Here are some TCAs that may interact with Briviact:

• amitriptyline (Elavil)
• desipramine (Norpramin)
• doxepin (Silenor, Zonalon)
• imipramine (Tofranil)
• nortriptyline (Pamelor)

Steps you or your doctor may take: Before starting Briviact, tell your doctor if you take a TCA. They can recommend whether it’s safe to take these medications together.

If your doctor prescribes Briviact with a TCA, they may prescribe a higher dosage of Briviact. This can help Briviact be more effective for treating seizures when it’s combined with a TCA.

To learn more about combining Briviact with TCAs, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Trazodone

Trazodone is prescribed to treat depression.

Interaction result: Combining Briviact with trazodone can make Briviact less effective or increase the risk of side effects from either drug.

Interaction explained: Trazodone may increase the likelihood of seizures by lowering the seizure threshold. Briviact is prescribed to treat certain seizures. Taking Briviact and trazodone together may make Briviact less effective for treating seizures.

Both Briviact and trazodone may also cause sleepiness when they’re taken individually. Taking these medications together further increases the risk of this side effect.

Steps you or your doctor may take: Before starting Briviact, tell your doctor if you take trazodone. They can recommend whether it’s safe to take these medications together.

If your doctor prescribes these drugs together, they may prescribe a higher dosage of Briviact. This can help Briviact be more effective for treating seizures when it’s combined with trazodone.

To learn more about combining Briviact with trazodone, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Briviact may have other interactions, such as with supplements, foods, vaccines, or even lab tests. You’ll find details below. Keep in mind that the following information does not include all other possible interactions with Briviact.

Briviact interactions with supplements

Before you start treatment with Briviact, tell your doctor and pharmacist which supplements, herbs, and vitamins you take. By sharing this information with them, you may help prevent possible interactions.

If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Briviact interactions with herbs

Briviac may interact with St. John’s wort. This is an herbal supplement some people take to ease symptoms of depression and other conditions.

St. John’s wort may speed up the activity of an enzyme in your body that helps break down Briviact. (An enzyme is a type of protein.) This can cause Briviact to break down too quickly, leading to a low level of Briviact in your system. If the level of Briviact in your system is too low, the drug may not work to treat partial-onset seizures.

If you take St. John’s wort, talk with your doctor before starting Briviact treatment. They may advise you to stop taking the supplement. Your doctor can suggest an alternative to St. John’s wort.

Briviact and vitamins

There are no specific reports of vitamins interacting with Briviact. However, that doesn’t mean vitamin interactions won’t occur or be recognized in the future. Because of this, you should talk with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any vitamin product with Briviact.

Briviact and food

There were no reports of food interactions with Briviact. If you’d like to learn more about eating certain foods during treatment with Briviact, talk with your doctor.

Briviact and vaccines

There aren’t any known interactions between Briviact and vaccines. Talk with your doctor or pharmacist to find out whether you’re due for any vaccines.

Briviact and lab tests

Briviact isn’t known to interact with any lab tests. If you have concerns about this medication interacting with lab tests, talk with your doctor.

BRIVIACT AND CANNABIS OR CBD

Cannabis (often called marijuana) and cannabis products, such as cannabidiol (CBD), have not been specifically reported to interact with Briviact. However, as with any drug or supplement, talk with your doctor before using cannabis in combination with Briviact. The effects of cannabis may affect how well you stick to your Briviact treatment plan.

Note: Cannabis is illegal at a federal level but is legal in many states to varying degrees.

Certain medical conditions and other factors may increase the risk of interactions with Briviact. Before you start drug, be sure to talk with your doctor about your health history. Briviact may not be the right treatment option for you if you have certain medical conditions or other factors affecting your health.

Health conditions or factors that might interact with Briviact include:

Liver problems: If you have a liver problem, such as liver failure, talk with your doctor before starting Briviact. Your body may not be able to get rid of Briviact as well as it should. This can cause the drug to build up in your system and raise your risk of side effects. To reduce this risk, your doctor may prescribe a lower dosage of Briviact than is typical. To learn more, talk with your doctor.

Mood disorder: Rarely, taking antiseizure drugs may lead to suicidal thoughts or behaviors. (Briviact is an antiseizure drug.) Your risk may be increased if you have a mood disorder, such as depression. Your doctor can help determine whether Briviact is a safe treatment option for you.

Substance use disorder: Briviact is a controlled substance. This means the drug is regulated by the government due to a risk of misuse. (With misuse, a medication is taken differently than how it’s prescribed.) This risk may be increased in people who have a substance use disorder. Your doctor can advise you on your risk of misuse with Briviact.

Allergic reaction: If you’ve had an allergic reaction to Briviact or any of its ingredients, your doctor will likely not prescribe Briviact. Treatment with the drug could cause another allergic reaction. You can ask them about other treatments that may be better choices for you.

Breastfeeding: It’s not known whether it’s safe to have Briviact while breastfeeding. The drug passes into breast milk. However, it isn’t known what effects Briviact may have on a child who is breastfed. If you’re breastfeeding or planning to, talk with your doctor before starting Briviact. They can talk with you about treatment options and ways to feed your child.

Pregnancy: There haven’t been enough clinical trials to determine whether Briviact is safe to have while pregnant. Animal studies show that the drug may have caused harm to offspring. However, it’s important to note that animal studies don’t always indicate what may happen in humans. If you’re pregnant or planning to become pregnant, tell your doctor before starting Briviact. They can advise you on the right treatment plan for you.

If you have treatment with Briviact while pregnant, consider enrolling in the drug’s pregnancy registry. This registry helps collect information on the safety of Briviact during pregnancy. To learn more, call 888-233-2334 or visit the registry website. You can also talk with your doctor.

You can take certain steps to help prevent interactions with Briviact. Your doctor and pharmacist are key resources, so reach out to them before starting treatment. For example, you should plan to do the following:

• Let them know if you drink alcohol or use cannabis.
• Tell them about any other medications you take, as well as any supplements, herbs, and vitamins.
• Create a medication list, which your doctor and pharmacist can help you fill out.

It’s also important to read the Briviact label and other paperwork that may come with the drug. The label may have colored stickers that mention an interaction. And the paperwork, sometimes called the medication guide or patient package insert, may contain details about interactions.

If Briviact doesn’t come with paperwork, you can ask your pharmacist to print a copy. If you need help reading or understanding this information, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

You can also help prevent interactions with Briviact by following the dosing instructions your doctor prescribes.

Besides learning about interactions, you may want to find out more about Briviact. These resources might help:

• Overview of Briviact: For a general overview of Briviact, you can see this article.
• Facts about your condition: To learn more about seizure disorders, see this article.

Disclaimer: Medical News Today has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.