title: Clinical experience of levetiracetam monotherapy for adults with epilepsy: 1-year follow-up study.
abstract: We identified 46 patients with a history of partial seizures, with and without secondarily generalization, who received levetiracetam (LEV) (Keppra) monotherapy. Patients began LEV either as first line therapy (n=11) or were converted to LEV monotherapy (n=35) after failing prior antiepileptic medications (AEDs). Patients were followed up to 12 months after LEV started. The majority of these patients were able to continue on LEV and a small number of patients discontinued LEV secondary to lack of efficacy. One third of the non-seizure free group at 6 months of follow-up had worse seizure control at 12 months and two thirds had the same or better seizure control. Our 1-year follow-up data of LEV as monotherapy suggests that LEV can be effective and well tolerated in adults with either new or difficult to control epilepsy. A prospective, large, long-term double-blind study is needed to confirm this finding.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology Epilepsy Program, University of California Davis, 4860 Y Street, Suite 3700, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA. taoufik.alsaadi@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu
authors.forename: Taoufik M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Alsaadi
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shatzel
authors.forename: Anna Vinter
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Marquez
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jorgensen
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Farias
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004828:Epilepsies, Partial / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D000077287:Levetiracetam; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010889:Piracetam / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014741:Video Recording
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D000077287:Levetiracetam; D010889:Piracetam