Tolerability and dosing experience of intravenous levetiracetam in children and infants.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the use and tolerability of intravenous (IV) levetiracetam (LEV) in a pediatric cohort under 14 years of age.


METHODS
A retrospective analysis of the use of the IV formulation of LEV was performed for the first 9 months that it was available in our institution.


RESULTS
Overall, 118 infusions in 15 patients were performed during the period assessed. No adverse reactions were observed during the infusion phase of the IV formulation. Nine minor adverse reactions were observed during the rest of the hospitalization that were potentially related to the IV formulation. Three of these were decreases in the white cell counts, while the majority of the rest were behavioral adverse effects. The median starting dose in LEV naïve patients was 8.8 mg/kg (range=5.0-50), with a median maintenance dose of 30.4 mg/kg/day for all patients (range=5.0-92). The majority of these infusions (82/118) were in a subgroup of children under 4 years of age where the median maintenance dose was 28 mg/kg/day.


CONCLUSIONS
IV LEV was very well tolerated in this cohort of pediatric patients including a subgroup of children under the age of 4 years.
Michaelides
Costas
C
Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA 02114, United States. cmichaelides@partners.org
Thibert
Ronald L
RL
Shapiro
Michelle J
MJ
Kinirons
Peter
P
John
Tanya
T
Manchharam
Dipti
D
Thiele
Elizabeth A
EA
D000293:Adolescent; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004361:Drug Tolerance / Q000502:physiology; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007275:Injections, Intravenous / Q000379:methods; D000077287:Levetiracetam; D008297:Male; D010889:Piracetam / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012640:Seizures / Q000188:drug therapy*
D000927:Anticonvulsants; D000077287:Levetiracetam; D010889:Piracetam