title: The safety of levetiracetam.
abstract: Levetiracetam is an antiepileptic drug approved for use as an adjunct agent in partial-onset seizures in adults and children aged > or = 4 years. It was also approved as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of adults and adolescents aged > or = 12 years with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy. A parenteral intravenous formulation has recently become available allowing for its use when oral administration is temporarily not feasible. Available literature has demonstrated and supported that levetiracetam has an acceptable safety profile and this review discusses the safety profile of levetiracetam, with attention to special populations. The most common adverse effects are somnolence, asthenia and dizziness, which usually appear early after initiation of levetiracetam therapy and generally resolve without medication withdrawal. The most serious adverse effects are behavioral in nature and are more common in children and in patients with a prior history of behavioral problems.
authors.affiliation: Weill Medical College of Cornell University, Division of Child Neurology, NY 10021, USA.
authors.forename: Deepa
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sirsi
authors.forename: Joseph E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Safdieh
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001773:Blood Cells / Q000187:drug effects; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D004342:Drug Hypersensitivity; D004347:Drug Interactions; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D000077287:Levetiracetam; D010889:Piracetam / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011605:Psychoses, Substance-Induced / Q000209:etiology; D012449:Safety
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D000077287:Levetiracetam; D010889:Piracetam