Pancytopenia is a rare side effect of levetiracetam (LEV) that is associated with severe morbidity that requires hospitalization. Here, we report a patient with a right temporoparietal tumor who underwent a temporal craniotomy with resection of the mass and was started on LEV for seizure prophylaxis per the neurosurgery local protocol. The patient developed LEV-induced pancytopenia, which was s...

The anticonvulsant topiramate not only decreases ethanol consumption in alcohol dependence (AD) but also may produce several adverse events including cognitive impairment. Zonisamide is a structurally related anticonvulsant that is a promising agent for the treatment of AD and may have greater tolerability than topiramate. This study evaluated the effects of zonisamide (400 mg/d) on alcohol con...

A 19-year-old woman had secondary generalized seizures for 18 months due to a calcified parietal granuloma. She was treated with phenytoin (PHT) and sodium valproate. PHT was replaced with LEV 500 mg twice daily because of a recurrence of seizures. Having taken LEV for 10 days, she developed a generalized maculopapular itchy rash which spared the mucous membranes. LEV was stopped and she was pr...

2011;76;383 Neurology R. Shallcross, R.L. Bromley, B. Irwin, et al. sodium valproate Child development following in utero exposure : Levetiracetam vs May 5, 2011 This information is current as of http://www.neurology.org/content/76/4/383.full.html located on the World Wide Web at: The online version of this article, along with updated information and services, is rights reserved. Print ISSN: 00...

In the last years, the hypothesis that cortical hyperexcitability may play a role in the physiopatology of migraine led to the therapeutic use of some antiepileptic drugs. To evaluate the efficacy of levetiracetam as prophylactic treatment for migraine without aura in elderly patients. We performed a small open-label trial treating 22 elderly patients (12F 10M) mean age 67.3 years (SD 5.03), ra...

OBJECTIVE Antiepileptic drug (AED) treatment failures may occur because there is insufficient drug in the brain or because of a lack of relevant therapeutic response. Until now it has not been possible to measure these factors. It has been recently shown that the combination of transcranial magnetic stimulation and electroencephalography (TMS-EEG) can measure the effects of drugs in healthy vol...

tolerated. Levetiracetam had a significant lower withdrawal rate than topiramate and oxcarbazepine with comparable efficacy. Gidal et al performed a pool analysis to determine the influence of levetiracetam in the serum concentrations of other antiepileptic drugs8. The study showed that LEV does not affect the concentration of carbamazepine, phenytoin, valproic acid, lamotrigine, gabapentin, ph...

OBJECTIVE Subclinical epileptiform discharges (SEDs) are common in pediatric patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but the effect of antiepileptic drugs on SEDs in ASD remains inconclusive. This physician-blinded, prospective, randomized controlled trial investigated an association between the anticonvulsant drug levetiracetam and SEDs in children with ASD. METHODS A total of 70 child...

The synaptic vesicle glycoprotein SV2A belongs to the major facilitator superfamily (MFS) of transporters and is an integral constituent of synaptic vesicle membranes. SV2A has been demonstrated to be involved in vesicle trafficking and exocytosis, processes crucial for neurotransmission. The anti-seizure drug levetiracetam was the first ligand to target SV2A and displays a broad spectrum of an...

Nine horses received 20 mg/kg of intravenous (LEVIV ); 30 mg/kg of intragastric, crushed immediate release (LEVCIR ); and 30 mg/kg of intragastric, crushed extended release (LEVCER ) levetiracetam, in a three-way randomized crossover design. Crushed tablets were dissolved in water and administered by nasogastric tube. Serum samples were collected over 48 hr, and levetiracetam concentrations wer...