Keppra for what kind of seizures

It's very important that your epilepsy is treated during pregnancy as seizures can harm you and your unborn baby. If you become pregnant while taking levetiracetam, tell your doctor or nurse straight away. If you're pregnant, or trying to get pregnant, and taking levetiracetam, you're recommended to take a higher dose of folic acid, a vitamin that helps your baby grow normally.

Your doctor might prescribe a high dose of 5mg a day for you to take when you're trying to get pregnant, and during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

If your doctor or health visitor says your baby is healthy, levetiracetam can be taken while you're breastfeeding. There have been some reports of side effects in breastfed babies, including not feeding well. But in most cases babies do not get any side effects. If your baby's not feeding as well as usual, seems unusually sleepy, or you have any other concerns about them, talk to your pharmacist, health visitor or doctor as soon as possible. For more information about how levetiracetam can affect you and your baby during pregnancy, read this leaflet on the Best Use of Medicines in Pregnancy BUMPs website.

Some medicines and levetiracetam interfere with each other and increase your side effects. Your doctor may need to change your dose of levetiracetam if you're taking any of these medicines. There might be a problem taking some herbal remedies and supplements alongside levetiracetam, especially ones that cause sleepiness or dizziness. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you're taking any other medicines, including herbal medicines, vitamins or supplements.

Brain cells normally "talk" to each other using electrical signals and chemicals. Seizures can happen when the brain cells are not working properly or working faster than usual.

It joins with a protein that's involved with releasing certain chemicals in the brain. The exact way this works is not fully known. At the moment, there's no evidence to show it has lasting harmful effects if you take it for many months or years. They work in the same way, but these medicines are given at different doses. If you decide to try brivaracetam instead, your doctor will explain how to come off levetiracetam safely.

There are lots of medicines for treating epilepsy, but they work in different ways. Brivaracetam is very similar to levetiracetam. It works in the same way, but can be given at different doses. If you decide to try brivaracetam instead, your doctor will explain how to switch medicines safely. It varies from person to person, and depends on the type of seizures and how often you have them. They'll look at your age, gender, the medicines you're already taking and any other health problems you may have.

If this medicine is not working well or you're getting side effects, your doctor will generally try you on a different one. If a single medicine is not preventing your seizures, your doctor may recommend taking 2 or more epilepsy medicines at the same time.

If it's giving you side effects or you're worried it's not suitable for you, ask your doctor or specialist to recommend a different medicine.

If you're switching medicines, it's very important to do it exactly as your doctor tells you to. If you want to switch, you'll usually start taking the new medicine at a low dose and slowly build up the dose while you're still taking levetiracetam.

It's not always important to stay on the same brand, but ask your doctor. If your epilepsy has been hard to control in the past and the brand of levetiracetam you're now taking is working well for you, your doctor may recommend you stay on the same one.

Talk to your doctor if you have been asked to switch to a different brand of levetiracetam and are worried about that. If you're taking levetiracetam for epilepsy, stopping it suddenly can cause seizures. Coming off levetiracetam should be done very slowly and might take a few months.

If you get a serious side effect, such as a severe skin condition, your doctor may tell you to stop taking levetiracetam straight away, even if you have epilepsy. Levetiracetam can sometimes cause changes in your mood or behaviour. You may feel angry, agitated or depressed. This side effect does not affect everyone, but it's important to tell your doctor if you have any changes in your mood, feel depressed or have thoughts of harming yourself.

Some people take vitamin B6 also known as pyridoxine alongside levetiracetam to reduce the chances of mood changes.

A few studies have reported that vitamin B6 might be helpful, but we do not have enough information to be sure. If you wish to take any vitamins alongside your prescribed medicines, it's important to speak to your pharmacist or doctor, who can advise you what you can take. Levetiracetam does not affect any type of contraception, including the combined pill and emergency contraception. Some men with epilepsy and taking epilepsy medicines may have reduced levels of testosterone.

Some epilepsy medicines also reduce the amount of sperm you produce or affect the quality of it. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while taking this medication.

Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store it at room temperature and away from light, excess heat and moisture not in the bathroom. Unneeded medications should be disposed of in special ways to ensure that pets, children, and other people cannot consume them. However, you should not flush this medication down the toilet. Instead, the best way to dispose of your medication is through a medicine take-back program.

It is important to keep all medication out of sight and reach of children as many containers such as weekly pill minders and those for eye drops, creams, patches, and inhalers are not child-resistant and young children can open them easily.

To protect young children from poisoning, always lock safety caps and immediately place the medication in a safe location — one that is up and away and out of their sight and reach. In case of overdose, call the poison control helpline at If the victim has collapsed, had a seizure, has trouble breathing, or can't be awakened, immediately call emergency services at Keep all appointments with your doctor.

If an infant or child younger than 4 years of age receives levetiracetam, your doctor will check their blood pressure regularly. Do not let anyone else take your medication. Ask your pharmacist any questions you have about refilling your prescription.

It is important for you to keep a written list of all of the prescription and nonprescription over-the-counter medicines you are taking, as well as any products such as vitamins, minerals, or other dietary supplements. You should bring this list with you each time you visit a doctor or if you are admitted to a hospital.

It is also important information to carry with you in case of emergencies. Levetiracetam pronounced as lee ve tye ra' se tam. Why is this medication prescribed?

How should this medicine be used? Other uses for this medicine What special precautions should I follow? Keppra levetiracetam is an oral anticonvulsant developed by UCB that can be used to prevent seizures in people with Batten disease. It often is the first medication used to achieve seizure control in juvenile Batten disease patients. Keppra cannot stop a seizure that has already started.

Under normal circumstances, the brain relays information from one area to another via the nerve cells firing electrical impulses. Seizures happen when there is a sudden, rapid increase in electrical activity in the brain. No clinical trials have assessed the effectiveness of Keppra specifically in Batten disease patients.

However, the medicine is frequently used to treat partial seizures , which can arise in people with this disease. These types of seizures begin on one side of the brain and can cause motor symptoms such as jerking limbs on one side, or non-motor symptoms, such as changes in vision, sense of smell, and hearing.

A double-blind, placebo-controlled study conducted by the European Levetiracetam Study Group evaluated the safety and effectiveness of Keppra in managing refractory partial seizures. Do not use a regular teaspoon. In general, tell patients that if they forget a dose, they should take it as soon as they remember. If it is almost time for the next dose, they should delay that dose for a few hours instead of taking two doses very close together.

Absorption : Levetiracetam is rapidly and nearly completely absorbed after oral administration. Peak serum concentrations with both the tablets and liquid form are achieved in about 1 hour when levetiracetam is taken without food and 2 hours with food.

Daily doses and plasma concentrations are linearly related. Steady state : In children and adults, steady state is achieved after two days of twice-daily dosing. The rate of side effects was lower than reported for most other seizure medicines. Levetiracetam was first given as add-on therapy, and the other antiepileptic medications were gradually withdrawn from patients whose seizure frequency was reduced by at least half.

More recent studies have shown similar numbers and Keppra has now been used by at least , patients. It continues to have an excellent safety profile. The side effects that were reported more frequently with Keppra than with placebo during the clinical trials were:. These occurred mostly during the first 4 weeks of treatment.

The infections were mainly colds upper respiratory infections and infection has not been a problem during recent experience with large numbers of patients.

Side effects in most patients are mild. Anxiety and agitation can present problems to patients or their families. Psychosis occurs rarely. On July 10, , an advisory panel was convened by the Food and Drug Administration FDA to review data that the FDA had previously collected from drug studies showing an association between many of the antiepileptic drugs AEDs and suicidal ideation and behavior, which together are called suicidality.

We again urge patients and families to contact their doctor before stopping an epilepsy medication because this may possibly lead to seizures and worsening of mood. The only patients for whom levetiracetam is contraindicated are those who are allergic to levetiracetam or any of its inactive ingredients.

Because it is mostly excreted by the kidneys, caution should be exercised when prescribing levetiracetam for patients with renal dysfunction. Effects of levetiracetam on other drugs : Levetiracetam does not act as an inducer or inhibitor of the hepatic cytochrome P system or other enzymes; therefore, there is little potential for pharmacokinetic interactions with other drugs, including oral contraceptives.

Effects of other drugs on levetiracetam : Because its metabolism is independent of the hepatic cytochrome P system, levetiracetam levels are unaffected by concomitant AEDs. AED interaction sheets: Seizure drugs are often affected by drug-drug interactions. Print these informative sheets for practical help.