Does Fycompa cause weight gain?

Medically reviewed by Philip Thornton, DipPharm. Last updated on Nov 13, 2024.

Official Answer by Drugs.com

Weight gain is a common dose-related side effect of Fycompa (perampanel), a non-competitive AMPA glutamate receptor antagonist used to treat epilepsy. It occurs in about 4 percent of patients treated with an 8 mg or 12 mg dose of the drug. Monitoring for weight gain is recommended while being treated with Fycompa.

In a trial conducted in adults with partial-onset seizures, adults treated with Fycompa for 19 weeks gained more weight compared with adults who received placebo (2.5 lbs [1.1 kg] vs 0.7 lbs [0.3 kg]).

A total of 9.1 and 0.9 percent of Fycompa-treated adults gained at least 7 and 15 percent of their baseline (at the beginning of the study) body weight, respectively. This was more than the 4.5 and 0.2 percent of placebo recipients who gained at least 7 and 15 percent, respectively.

In a separate study conducted in adults and adolescents with primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures, a similar level of weight gain was observed.

Patients with mild-to-moderate intellectual disabilities also gain significantly more body weight while on Fycompa compared with patients with severe intellectual disabilities or no intellectual disabilities who took the drug, according to the results of a clinical study. This was thought to be because Fycompa-induced food intake was greater in patients with mild-to-moderate intellectual disability due to weaker behavioral control. The same body weight gains were not observed in patients with severe intellectual disability, which was likely due to their food intake being controlled by a caregiver.

References

Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Fycompa Product Label. [Accessed 23 November, 2022]. Available at: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2019/202834s016,208277s004lbl.pdf.
Iwaki H, Jin K, Sugawara N, Nakasato N, Kaneko S. Perampanel-induced weight gain depends on level of intellectual disability and its serum concentration. Epilepsy Res. 2019;152:1-6. doi:10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2019.02.011.

Is Fycompa a controlled substance?

Yes, Fycompa is a Schedule 3 controlled substance first approved in 2012. Fycompa is classified as a controlled substance by the DEA because it may be habit-forming. Misuse of this medicine can cause addiction, overdose, or death. It is an anticonvulsant used to treat seizures in adults and children with epilepsy. Continue reading

Can Fycompa cause hair loss?

Hair loss is not a reported side effect of Fycompa, and there were few anecdotal reports of hair loss associated with the drug on blog sites. There was one report of a 13-year-old girl who developed hair curling after a few weeks of Fycompa treatment for uncontrolled seizures associated with Pitt-Hopkins syndrome. Continue reading

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Does Fycompa cause weight gain?

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