title: [Therapeutic drug monitoring of levetiracetam].
abstract: Levetiracetam is an anticonvulsant drug used to treat partial seizures, myoclonic seizures of juvenile myoclonic epilepsy and primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures. A review of the literature with an evidence-based medicine method highlighted parameters (age, renal failure, pregnancy, combination with other anticonvulsant drugs) which affect levetiracetam pharmacokinetics but no significant relationship between plasma concentration of levetiracetam and efficacy or toxicity. Concentrations usually observed in therapeutics is from 6 to 18 mg/L. However, the determination of an individual therapeutic concentration, associated with an effective and well tolerated therapy, could be recommended particularly before pregnancy. Consequently, therapeutic drug monitoring of levetiracetam which is not currently recommended could be possibly useful in specific clinical situations.
authors.affiliation: Service de Pharmacologie Clinique, CHU de Nantes, Nantes, France. eric.dailly@chu-nantes.fr
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dailly
authors.forename: Régis
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bouquié
authors.forename: Danièle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bentué-Ferrer
mesh_terms: D004347:Drug Interactions; D016903:Drug Monitoring; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D000077287:Levetiracetam; D010889:Piracetam / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: D000077287:Levetiracetam; D010889:Piracetam