Our results confirm that LEV as de novo (monotherapy) and add-on therapy at doses between 2000 and 3000 mg/day effectively reduces myoclonic seizure frequency in patients with generalised epilepsy. LEV was also well-tolerated.
Levetiracetam (LEV), the S-enantiomer of alpha-ethyl-2-oxo-1-pyrollidine acetamide, is a recently licensed antiepileptic drug (AED) for adjunctive therapy of partial seizures. Its mechanism of action is uncertain but it exhibits a unique profi le of anticonvulsant activity in models of chronic epilepsy. Five randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials enrolling adult or pediatric patients with refractory partial epilepsy have demonstrated the effi cacy of LEV as adjunctive therapy, with a responder rate (Ն50% reduction in seizure frequency) of 28%-45%. Long-term effi cacy studies suggest retention rates of 60% after one year, with 13% of patients seizure-free for 6 months of the study and 8% seizure-free for 1 year. More recent studies illustrated successful conversion to monotherapy in patients with refractory epilepsy, and its effectiveness as a single agent in partial epilepsy. LEV has also effi cacy in generalized epilepsies. Adverse effects of LEV, including somnolence, lethargy, and dizziness, are generally mild and their occurrence rate seems to be not signifi cantly different from that observed in placebo groups. LEV also has no clinically signifi cant pharmacokinetic interactions with other AEDs, or with commonly prescribed medications. The combination of effective antiepileptic properties with a relatively mild adverse effect profi le makes LEV an attractive therapy for partial seizures.
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