2 DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION Adults : initiate with a dose of 600 mg/day, given twice a day • Adjunctive Therapy: Maximum increment of 600 mg/day at approximately weekly intervals. The recommended daily dose is 1200 mg/day ( 2.1 ) • Conversion to Monotherapy: Withdrawal concomitant over 3 to 6 weeks; reach maximum dose of oxcarbazepine in 2 to 4 weeks with increments of 600 mg/day at weekly intervals to a recommended daily dose of 2400 mg/day ( 2.2 ) • Initiation of Monotherapy: Increments of 300 mg/day every third day to a dose of 1200 mg/day ( 2.3 ) • Initiate at one-half the usual starting dose and increase slowly in patients with a creatinine clearance < 30 mL/min ( 2.7 ) Pediatrics : initiation with 8 to 10 mg/kg/day, given twice a day. For patients aged 2 to <4 years and under 20 kg, a starting dose of 16 to 20 mg/kg/day may be considered. Recommended daily dose is dependent upon patient weight. • Adjunctive Patients (Aged 2-16 Years): For patients aged 4 to 16 years, target maintenance dose should be achieved over 2 weeks ( 2.4 ). For patients aged 2 to <4 years, maximum maintenance dose should be achieved over 2 to 4 weeks and should not to exceed 60 mg/kg/day ( 2.4 ) • Conversion to Monotherapy for Patients (Aged 4-16 Years): Maximum increment of 10 mg/kg/day at weekly intervals, concomitant antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) can be completely withdrawn over 3 to 6 weeks ( 2.5 ) • Initiation of Monotherapy for Patients (Aged 4-16 Years): Increments of 5 mg/kg/day every third day ( 2.6 ) 2.1 Adjunctive Therapy for Adults Initiate oxcarbazepine with a dose of 600 mg/day, given twice a day. If clinically indicated, the dose may be increased by a maximum of 600 mg/day at approximately weekly intervals; the maximum recommended daily dose is 1200 mg/day. Daily doses above 1200 mg/day show somewhat greater effectiveness in controlled trials, but most patients were not able to tolerate the 2400 mg/day dose, primarily because of central nervous (CNS) effects. Dosage adjustment is recommended with concomitant use of strong CYP3A4 enzyme inducers or UGT inducers, which include certain antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) [see Drug Interactions ( 7.1 , 7.2 )] . 2.2 Conversion to Monotherapy for Adults Patients receiving concomitant AEDs may be converted to monotherapy by initiating treatment with oxcarbazepine at 600 mg/day (given in a twice a day regimen) while simultaneously initiating the reduction of the dose of the concomitant AEDs. The concomitant AEDs should be completely withdrawn over 3 to 6 weeks, while the maximum dose of oxcarbazepine should be reached in about 2 to 4 weeks. Oxcarbazepine may be increased as clinically indicated by a maximum increment of 600 mg/day at approximately weekly intervals to achieve the maximum recommended daily dose of 2400 mg/day. A daily dose of 1200 mg/day has been shown in one study to be effective in patients in whom monotherapy has been initiated with oxcarbazepine. Patients should be observed closely during this transition phase. 2.3 Initiation of Monotherapy for Adults Patients not currently being treated with AEDs may have monotherapy initiated with oxcarbazepine. In these patients, initiate oxcarbazepine at a dose of 600 mg/day (given a twice a day); the dose should be increased by 300 mg/day every third day to a dose of 1200 mg/day. Controlled trials in these patients examined the effectiveness of a 1200 mg/day dose; a dose of 2400 mg/day has been shown to be effective in patients converted from other AEDs to oxcarbazepine monotherapy (see above). 2.4 Adjunctive Therapy for Pediatric Patients (Aged 2-16 Years) In pediatric patients aged 4–16 years, initiate oxcarbazepine at a daily dose of 8 to 10 mg/kg generally not to exceed 600 mg/day, given twice a day. The target maintenance dose of oxcarbazepine should be achieved over 2 weeks, and is dependent upon patient weight, according to the following chart: 20 to 29 kg–900 mg/day 29.1 to 39 kg–1200 mg/day > 39 kg–1800 mg/day In the clinical trial, in which the intention was to reach these target doses, the median daily dose was 31 mg/kg with a range of 6 to 51 mg/kg. In pediatric patients aged 2 to < 4 years, initiate oxcarbazepine at a daily dose of 8 to 10 mg/kg generally not to exceed 600 mg/day, given twice a day. For patients less than 20 kg, a starting dose of 16 to 20 mg/kg may be considered [see Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.3 )] . The maximum maintenance dose of oxcarbazepine should be achieved over 2 to 4 weeks and should not exceed 60 mg/kg/day in a twice a day regimen. In the clinical trial in pediatric patients (2 to 4 years of age), in which the intention was to reach the target dose of 60 mg/kg/day, 50% of patients reached a final dose of at least 55 mg/kg/day. Under adjunctive therapy (with and without enzyme-inducing AEDs), when normalized by body weight, apparent clearance (L/hr/kg) decreased when age increased such that children 2 to < 4 years of age may require up to twice the oxcarbazepine dose per body weight compared to adults; and children 4 to ≤ 12 years of age may require a 50% higher oxcarbazepine dose per body weight compared to adults. Dosage adjustment is recommended with concomitant use of strong CYP3A4 enzyme inducers or UGT inducers, which include certain AEDs [see Drug Interactions ( 7.1 , 7.2 )] . 2.5 Conversion to Monotherapy for Pediatric Patients (Aged 4-16 Years) Patients receiving concomitant AEDs may be converted to monotherapy by initiating treatment with oxcarbazepine at approximately 8 to 10 mg/kg/day given twice a day, while simultaneously initiating the reduction of the dose of the concomitant AEDs. The concomitant AEDs can be completely withdrawn over 3 to 6 weeks, while oxcarbazepine may be increased as clinically indicated by a maximum increment of 10 mg/kg/day at approximately weekly intervals to achieve the recommended daily dose. Patients should be observed closely during this transition phase. The recommended total daily dose of oxcarbazepine is shown in Table 1. 2.6 Initiation of Monotherapy for Pediatric Patients (Aged 4-16 Years) Patients not currently being treated with AEDs may have monotherapy initiated with oxcarbazepine. In these patients, initiate oxcarbazepine at a dose of 8 to 10 mg/kg/day given twice a day. The dose should be increased by 5 mg/kg/day every third day to the recommended daily dose shown in the table below. Table 1: Range of Maintenance Doses of Oxcarbazepine for Pediatrics by Weight During Monotherapy From To Weight in kg Dose (mg/day) Dose (mg/day) 20 600 900 25 900 1200 30 900 1200 35 900 1500 40 900 1500 45 1200 1500 50 1200 1800 55 1200 1800 60 1200 2100 65 1200 2100 70 1500 2100 2.7 Dosage Modification for Patients With Renal Impairment In patients with impaired renal function (creatinine clearance < 30 mL/min), initiate oxcarbazepine at one-half the usual starting dose (300 mg/day, given twice a day), and increase slowly to achieve the desired clinical response [see Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.3 )] . 2.8 Administration Information Oxcarbazepine can be taken with or without food [see Clinical Pharmacology ( 12.3 )] . Before using oxcarbazepine oral suspension, shake the bottle well and prepare the dose immediately afterwards. The prescribed amount of oral suspension should be withdrawn from the bottle using the oral dosing syringe supplied. Oxcarbazepine oral suspension can be mixed in a small glass of water just prior to administration, or alternatively, may be swallowed directly from the syringe. After each use, close the bottle and rinse the syringe with warm water, and allow it to dry thoroughly. Oxcarbazepine oral suspension and oxcarbazepine film‑coated tablets may be interchanged at equal doses.