Antimyoclonic effect of levetiracetam.
Treatment of severe, incapacitating action myoclonus is difficult. Piracetam has been shown to be a very potent antimyoclonic agent, but only at very high, impractical doses, ranging from 24 to 40 g/d. Levetiracetam (LEV), a new antiepileptic drug, is a structurally related compound that has a distinct pharmacological profile and appears to be efficient at much lower doses. We gave LEV, 4,000 mg/d, without titration, to three volunteers with post-anoxic myoclonus (PAM) (one case) and Unverricht-Lundborg disease (two cases), over 2, 2 and 10 weeks, respectively. LEV produced a clear abatement of myoclonus, which is demonstrated on video for the patient with post-anoxic myoclonus, without any unwanted side-effects. These preliminary findings suggest that LEV may have interesting antimyoclonic properties that deserve further investigation.
Genton
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Centre Saint-Paul, 300, boulevard Saint-Marguerite, 13009 Marseille, France. piergen@aol.com
Gélisse
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D000328:Adult; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004831:Epilepsies, Myoclonic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000077287:Levetiracetam; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010889:Piracetam / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
D000927:Anticonvulsants; D000077287:Levetiracetam; D010889:Piracetam