2.1 Drug Profile Levetiracetam is an anticonvulsant medication used to treat epilepsy. Levetiracetam may selectively prevent hyper synchronization of epileptic form burst firing and propagation of seizure activity (1, . It is thought to be involved in the regulation of vesicle exocytosis. Levetiracetam may help control seizures in children. It is also used in veterinary medicine for similar pur...

Levetiracetam is a second-generation antiepileptic drug (AED) with a unique chemical structure and mechanism of action. The extended release formulation of levetiracetam (Keppra XR(); UCB Pharma) was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for adjunctive therapy in the treatment of partial-onset seizures in patients 16 years of age and older with epilepsy. This approval is based o...

INTRODUCTION Levetiracetam (LEV) is approved for use as add-on therapy in adult patients with partial epilepsy. It is apparent from clinical trials that up to 8% of previously drug-resistant patients may be rendered seizure-free by adding-on levetiracetam. As yet there is no way of predicting these unexpectedly responsive patients. We set out to identify our previously refractory patients who h...

Some drugs currently used to treat tics in pediatric patients have drawbacks, including the risk of side effects. New therapeutic options with better safety profiles are needed. Levetiracetam is an antiepileptic drug with atypical mechanisms of action that might be beneficial for this indication. We evaluated the effects of levetiracetam on motor and vocal tics, behavior, and school performance...

We examined the efficacy, optimum dosage and adverse effects of levetiracetam in two prospective trials in children with epilepsy. In the add-on trial, 67 children between 6 months and 16 years were included. In the mono-therapy trial, 10 children between 4 years and 16 years were included. Levetiracetam was titrated up to an optimal dosage for every individual patient, depending on efficacy an...

Emerging evidence suggests that elevated hippocampal activation may be important for disrupting cognitive functions in aged subjects as well as patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Therefore, reducing deleterious overactivity of the hippocampus may have therapeutic benefits. This study was designed to compare the effects of levetiracetam, an antiepileptic drug, on memory deficits associated ...

Levetiracetam, trade name Keppra, is a new second generation antiepileptic drug that is being increasingly used in brain tumor patients. In patients suffering with brain tumors, seizures are one of the leading neurologic complications being seen in more than 30% of patients. Unlike other antiepileptic drugs, levetiracetam is proposed to bind to a synaptic vesicle protein inhibiting calcium rele...

The aim of this multicentric, prospective and uncontrolled study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of levetiracetam in 110 children with refractory epilepsy, of whom 21 were less than 4 years old. After a median follow-up period of 7 months, levetiracetam administration was effective (responders with >50% decrease in seizure frequency) in 39% of children, of whom 10 (9%) became seizure-fr...

BACKGROUND Levetiracetam is an anticonvulsant used for control of canine epilepsy. An extended release preparation should improve dosing convenience. OBJECTIVES To determine the disposition of extended release levetiracetam in normal dogs after single dosing. ANIMALS Pharmacokinetic study: 16 healthy, adult dogs. METHODS Using a partially randomized crossover study, levetiracetam (30 mg/k...