Lacosamide: uses, dosing, side effects & brands

Lacosamide is a medicine sold in the U.S. under 3 brand and generic names, for partial epilepsies, tonic-clonic epilepsy and lennox gastaut syndrome. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.

By the pharmaranks editorial teamReviewed against the FDA (openFDA label, NDC Directory & Enforcement) sourcesUpdated Jul 24, 2026How we research

Key facts

Treats (across its forms): Partial Epilepsies, Tonic-Clonic Epilepsy and Lennox Gastaut Syndrome
Available as: Injectable · Solution · Tablet · Capsule, extended release
Sold as: 3 products — Vimpat, Lacosamide and Motpoly XR
Prescription?: Prescription only
Generic available?: Yes
What the pharmacy pays: about $0.17 per ml — not your price

How Vimpat is dosed

From the FDA label for Vimpat (application NDA022254). Other lacosamide products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.

Adults (17 years and older): Initial dosage for monotherapy for the treatment of partial-onset seizures is 100 mg twice daily ( 2.1 ) Initial dosage for adjunctive therapy for the treatment of partial-onset seizures or primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures is 50 mg twice daily ( 2.1 ) Maximum recommended dosage for monotherapy and adjunctive therapy is 200 mg twice daily ( 2.1 ) Pediatric Patients 1 month to less than 17 years : The recommended dosage is based on body weight and is administered orally twice daily ( 2.1 ) Increase dosage based on clinical response and tolerability, no more frequently than once per week ( 2.1 ) Injection: for intravenous use only when oral administration is temporarily not feasible; the recommended dosage is based on body weight and is administered two or three times daily over 15 to 60 minutes; obtaining ECG before initiation is recommended in certain patients ( 2.7 , 5.3 ) Dose adjustment is recommended for severe renal impairment ( 2.4 , 12.3 ) Dose adjustment is recommended for mild or moderate hepatic impairment; use in patients with severe hepatic impairment is not recommended ( 2.5 , 12.3 ) 2.1 Dosage Information The recommended dosage for monotherapy and adjunctive therapy for partial-onset seizures in patients 1 month of age and older and for adjunctive therapy for primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures in patients 4 years of age…

Everything below is the FDA label for Vimpat (injectable, solution, tablet). Lacosamide is also sold as capsule, extended release, and those are different medicines to take — follow the label for the one you were prescribed.

Vimpat side effects

The following serious adverse reactions are described below and elsewhere in the labeling: Suicidal Behavior and Ideation [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] Dizziness and Ataxia [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) ] Cardiac Rhythm and Conduction Abnormalities [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3) ] Syncope [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4) ] Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms (DRESS)/Multiorgan Hypersensitivity Reactions [see Warnings and Precautions (5.6) ] Adjunctive therapy: Most common adverse reactions in adults (≥10% and greater than placebo) are diplopia, headache, dizziness, nausea, and somnolence ( 6.1 ) Monotherapy: Most common adverse reactions are similar to those seen in adjunctive therapy studies ( 6.1 ) Pediatric patients: Adverse reactions are similar to those seen in adult patients ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact UCB, Inc. at 1-844-599-2273 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. VIMPAT Tablet and Oral Solution in Adults In the premarketing development of adjunctive therapy for partial-onset seizures, 1327 adult…

Who shouldn’t take Vimpat

None . None ( 4 )

Vimpat drug interactions

7.1 Strong CYP3A4 or CYP2C9 Inhibitors Patients with renal or hepatic impairment who are taking strong inhibitors of CYP3A4 and CYP2C9 may have a significant increase in exposure to VIMPAT. Dose reduction may be necessary in these patients. 7.2 Concomitant Medications that Affect Cardiac Conduction VIMPAT should be used with caution in patients on concomitant medications that affect cardiac conduction (sodium channel blockers, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, potassium channel blockers) including those that prolong PR interval (including sodium channel blocking AEDs), because of a risk of AV block, bradycardia, or ventricular tachyarrhythmia. In such patients, obtaining an ECG before beginning VIMPAT, and after VIMPAT is titrated to steady-state, is recommended. In addition, these patients should be closely monitored if they are administered VIMPAT through the intravenous route [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3) ] .

Every lacosamide product we track (3)

Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.

Lacosamide products
#	Drug	Rating	Type	Form	Generic?	Pharmacy pays
1	Vimpat	70/100	Prescription	Injectable	Generic	$0	View →
2	Lacosamide	66/100	Prescription	Injectable	Generic	$0	View →
3	Motpoly XR	Not yet rated	Prescription	Capsule	Generic	$0	View →

What lacosamide pills look like

Imprint codes, colour and shape from the FDA’s labelling data. Match the imprint on your pill — or search any imprint.

Lacosamide pill imprints
Imprint	Strength	Colour	Shape	Maker
J;12	50 mg	pink	oval	—
J;13	100 mg	yellow	oval	—
J;14	150 mg	pink	oval	—
J;15	200 mg	blue	oval	—
LAC;50	50 mg	pink	oval	—
LAC;100	100 mg	yellow	oval	—
LAC;150	150 mg	orange	oval	—
LAC;200	200 mg	blue	oval	—

Lacosamide recalls

From the FDA Enforcement database. A recall covers specific lots — not the drug as a whole.

Can you crush or split lacosamide?

At least one lacosamideproduct is labelled to be swallowed whole — crushing an extended-release tablet releases the whole day’s dose at once. Which applies depends on the form you were given.

What each lacosamide label says about crushing, splitting and chewing

How long lacosamide keeps

The date on a sealed pack is not the only one: some lacosamide labels start a second clock once the product is opened or mixed, as short as 6 months.

Does lacosamide expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labels

Lacosamide and breastfeeding

From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.

Limited information indicates that a maternal dose of 200 mg daily produce low levels in milk. Although one infant who was exposed during pregnancy and breastfeeding was seepy and fed poorly, several others have been breastfed with no adverse effects. Development of exposed infants has been normal. Until more data are available lacosamide should only be used with careful monitoring for drowsiness and adequate weight gain during breastfeeding, especially while nursing a newborn or preterm infant.

Full LactMed record for lacosamide: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider instead

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised June 15, 2026. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.

What people report to the FDA about lacosamide

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 19,095 reports naming lacosamide, and the FDA flagged 87% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:

seizure3,487 reports
status epilepticus817 reports
dizziness735 reports
somnolence694 reports
fall691 reports
epilepsy690 reports
generalised tonic-clonic seizure682 reports
multiple-drug resistance593 reports

Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean lacosamide caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.

Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved August 25, 2026.

Related guides

DEA drug schedule explained →

Related calculators

How long it stays in your system →

Frequently asked questions

What is Vimpat?

Vimpat (Lacosamide) is a medication used to treat Partial Epilepsies, Tonic-Clonic Epilepsy, Lennox Gastaut Syndrome.

Can you take lacosamide with other medicines?

It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run lacosamide against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.

What brand names is lacosamide sold under?

We track 3 lacosamide-containing products in the U.S.: Vimpat, Lacosamide and Motpoly XR. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.

What forms does lacosamide come in?

Across the brands we track, lacosamide is currently marketed as injectable, solution, tablet and capsule, extended release, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.

Is there a generic lacosamide?

Yes. Our catalog lists 1 generic lacosamide product alongside the brand versions. A generic has the same active ingredient and must meet the FDA's bioequivalence standard; it usually costs less. Ask your pharmacist which one your plan covers.

Has lacosamide been recalled?

The FDA's Enforcement database lists at least 5 recall records whose product description mentions lacosamide. The most recent: Lacosamide Tablets (Jun 4, 2026). A recall applies to specific lots, not to the drug as a whole — check the record for the affected lot numbers.

Cite this page

APA: pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Lacosamide: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/lacosamide
MLA: “Lacosamide: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/lacosamide.

We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.

Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.

Read the full FDA label for lacosamide on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.