title: Catatonia induced by levetiracetam.
abstract: Levetiracetam (Keppra) is a novel antiepileptic drug approved as adjunctive treatment for adults with partial onset seizures. Although the drug is generally well tolerated, behavioral side effects have been reported in variable frequency. Most behavioral problems are mild in nature (agitation, hostility, anxiety, emotional lability, apathy, depression) and quickly resolve with discontinuation of medication. However, serious psychiatric adverse events may also occur with rare cases of psychosis and suicidal behavior. We report here the case of a 43-year-old woman who developed symptoms compatible with catatonia after being exposed to levetiracetam for the treatment of epilepsy. To our knowledge, it is the first reported case of catatonia induced by levetiracetam. We review the difficulties that may be encountered in the differential diagnosis of medical catatonia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Neurology, CHUM Hôpital Notre Dame, 1560 rue Sherbrooke Est, Montréal (Québec), Canada H2L 4M1.
authors.forename: Marie-Josée
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Chouinard
authors.forename: Dang-Khoa
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Clément
authors.forename: Marie-Andrée
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Bruneau
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002389:Catatonia / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000175:diagnosis; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004828:Epilepsies, Partial / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000077287:Levetiracetam; D010259:Paranoid Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy; D010889:Piracetam / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018967:Risperidone / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D000077287:Levetiracetam; D018967:Risperidone; D010889:Piracetam