Took Ampyra Too SOON

[Curly Q]

OK, so I made a mistake today. Took my Ampyra at 8:00 a.m. as I normally do, but made an error and took another at 2:30 p.m. Wasn't supposed to take it until 8 p.m.

A bit nervous about this. I will skip tonight's pill and resume at 8 a.m., but should I fear having a seizure today?

Thanks for any advice!

[KatieAgain]

Most drugs I would say no problem...but Ampyra can be tricky can't it? I would report it to my Neuro and get their advice.

I am certain they will tell you to do just exactly what you laid out in your post.

You are only 5 1/2 hours early so I think you are probably safe in regards to seizures, but only your Neuro can tell you this.

A pill container with AM and PM on it might be a wise investment...especially with time sensitive drugs.

[AMJ]

Most drugs I would say no problem...but Ampyra can be tricky can't it? I would report it to my Neuro and get their advice.

I am certain they will tell you to do just exactly what you laid out in your post.

You are only 5 1/2 hours early so I think you are probably safe in regards to seizures, but only your Neuro can tell you this.

A pill container with AM and PM on it might be a wise investment...especially with time sensitive drugs.

Katie has given you very good advise. Call your neuro and get a pill container. I have just started this drug and am going to get an am/pm container. I'm finding it difficult to get my dinner meal in by 6:00 pm so I have an empty stomach by 8:00 pm. Right now I have an alarm set on my phone for 8 pm to make sure I take my evening pill on time.

The side effects listed for this drug are quite scary. I hope you are doing well on it.

[ru4cats]

The pill container is a great idea; I have one.
I took an Ampyra and then a couple hours later I accidentally took another . Other than being a little zoomie, I was fine. Other than that one time, after more than 4 years, I have absolutely no side effects from this drug.

[knuckle]

I've been taking 4-aminiopyridine, "4-ap" now for over six years. 4-ap is basically generic Ampyra that you get made at a compounding pharmacy but much, much, cheaper. I take 10mg instant release 4-ap every 5-6 hours for a total of 30-40mg daily.

Ampyra is only 10mg a dose in a sustained release form for 20mg over 24 hours.

On several occasions I have taken a 10mg dose twice by mistake and have been fine.

Seizures have been recorded in 4-ap doses well above 60mg so I think it highly unlikely, especially if you've been taking Ampyra for awhile, that you will have any problems. Evidently, Ampyra was tested for safety with very low weight MS patients.

One of the advantages of 4-ap, besides the low cost, is you can take more of it and get better results. You just have to dose yourself regularly. Ampyra, though a sustained release product, may be influenced by your stomach contents.

4-ap costs about $40 a month, cash, where Ampyra costs a ridiculous amount of money for exactly the same chemical. But that's how big pharma uses our dysfunctional healthcare system to make big bucks off us MSers.