Levetiracetam: A Review of its use in the treatment of epilepsy

Epilepsy is a group of disorder characterized by two or more unprovoked seizures. The estimated average prevalence of epilepsy in US is 6.8 per 1000, Europe is 5.5 per 1000, and Asia is 1.5 to 14 per 1000 people respectively. [1] Epilepsy is classified based on the source of seizure into partial and generalized seizures. [1] About 2/3rd of newly diagnosed epilepsies are partial or secondarily generalized. The treatment of the epilepsy depends on appropriate classification of seizure type and the epileptic syndrome. [2] The older or first generation antiepileptic drugs like phenytoin, carbamazepine and sodium valproate are widely used but they have increased risk of adverse reactions and drug interactions. [3] They also require therapeutic monitoring. Therefore, new or second generation drugs are preferred due to favourable side effect profile and less chance of drug interactions. [4]