Various anticonvulsant medications are used to maintain normal functioning when epilepsy is detected. Among these drugs, Levetiracetam deserves special attention. The reviews of specialists and patients taking it show that the drug eliminates unpleasant symptoms, causes a minimum of side effects, but requires a competent appointment.
Active component
The active component of the drug is levetiracetam. The drug goes on sale in the form of tablets having an enteric film coating. Depending on the severity of the condition, the presence of concomitant symptoms and the general condition of the patient, the doctor may prescribe pills in various dosages. A medication may contain 250, 500, 750 and 1000 mg of the active ingredient.
For ease of use, the tablets are packed in familiar blisters of 10 pieces. Moreover, each pack contains from 3 to 6 such plates.
An increased dosage of 500 and 1000 mg of the therapeutic component contains Levetiracetam Canon. Patient reviews confirm that the drugs are identical and the difference is only in the manufacturer and the amount of active ingredient.
How does the medicine work?
Levetiracetam tablets are prescribed to eliminate seizures, as well as seizure-free epileptic seizures. It is clinically proven that a medication, getting into the digestive tract, is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream. Plasma concentration reaches a maximum after about one and a half hours and is fully consistent with the dosage taken. The absorption of the drug in the intestine does not depend on the meal.
It is known that the half-life is not dependent on the dosage of the drug, but is directly related to the age of the patient. It is six hours. However, in elderly patients, the elimination time reaches ten hours.
If the medicine is prescribed for children, then the maximum concentration in the blood is reached after 30-60 minutes. The rate of excretion of the drug depends entirely on the weight of the child.
"Levetiracetam": instructions for use, reviews
The drug is prescribed to patients who have reached the age of 16 years. It is needed as monotherapy. But it is also used as part of complex treatment:
- in the presence of partial seizures, it can be prescribed for both adult patients and children over four years of age;
- in the presence of myoclonic seizures in children;
- during idiopathic epilepsy.
The daily dose of the drug is always divided into two doses. Treatment depends on whether the medicine is used comprehensively or not. Regardless of the chosen strategy, patient reviews show that the drug is effective, helps reduce the number of attacks and causes a minimum of side effects.
Monotherapy
“Levetiracetam” may be recommended as the only drug during epileptic seizures. Instructions and reviews show that the maximum therapeutic effect is achieved when prescribing tablets at a dosage of 3000 mg per day. However, such tactics are not always used and depend directly on the age of the patient.
So, doctors often prescribe for adolescents over 16 years of age, the drug twice a day, 250 mg. If the treatment passes according to the plan and brings its results, the dosage is increased. Up to 1000 mg of the drug, divided into two doses, should already be taken per day. As practice shows, such therapy justifies its purpose, and the number of epileptic seizures in a patient is significantly reduced, or they disappear altogether.
Complex therapy
As part of complex treatment, Levetiracetam is also often used. Reviews confirm that with well-designed treatment, it is possible to prescribe a medication even for newborns. However, in this case, a solution is used.
The initial dosage is calculated based on the weight of the child. In this case, one kilogram of the mass must take 7 mg of the active ingredient.
If the child has reached six years of age, then for one kilogram of the mass it is necessary to take already 10 mg of the active substance. The dosage is gradually increasing, but it should be borne in mind that the maximum dose is 30 mg per kilogram.
Adult patients are prescribed pills. It is necessary to drink pills containing 500 mg of the therapeutic substance, twice a day. Gradually, the dosage is increased to 3,000 mg per day.
According to reviews, eating does not affect the success of treatment. However, for better assimilation of the drug, it is necessary to drink the tablets with plenty of water.
Levetiracetam: patient reviews
As the responses of patients taking the drug show, it is generally well tolerated. However, quite often, patients complain of excessive drowsiness and lethargy. There are reviews of the occurrence of headache and dizziness during treatment.
Basically, the drug does not affect the nervous processes. But some people sometimes have confusion and anxiety.
Often in the pharmacy offer the drug "Levetiracetam Canon." Patient reviews confirm that the effect of the drugs is identical. The difference is only in the manufacturer. Against the background of treatment, improvements are very noticeable even in the initial stages. Monotherapy does not always help some, and doctors are forced to prescribe medications with other drugs.
Despite being well tolerated, there are patients who complain of side effects. Especially often they appear as a skin rash.
List of contraindications
A sufficiently large list of contraindications is Levetiracetam. Reviews of experts confirm that self-medication sometimes leads to unpleasant consequences. Do not use the medicine without a doctor's prescription. Only a neuropathologist is able to take into account all the individual characteristics of a particular patient and calculate the dosage. It is worth remembering that the medication is contraindicated in many cases:
- in tablet form until the age of four;
- in the form of a solution is not prescribed for children under the age of one month;
- the solution is also contraindicated in the presence of fructose absorption disorders and its intolerance;
- the drug is not used if the patient is diagnosed with acute renal failure;
- in the presence of liver diseases, clinical tests are necessary to exclude the stage of decompensation;
- with individual hypersensitivity to the substances that make up the drug, it is forbidden to use it.
In the treatment of patients over 65 years of age, Levetiracetam is used. However, therapy requires special careful monitoring by a specialist.
Pregnancy and lactation
There are no sufficient clinical studies on the effect of the drug Levetiracetam on the ripening fetus. Reviews are not enough to use the medication in standard therapy. Unless there is a threat to the woman's life, a medication during pregnancy is not prescribed.
It is also known that the active component of the drug passes into breast milk. Therefore, during breastfeeding, the medication is not used or doctors recommend stopping lactation and switch to mixtures.
Possible analogues
If necessary, the attending physician may refuse Levetiracetam therapy and prescribe an analogue. In this case, the preparations may differ both in the active substance and in auxiliary ingredients. The following tools are recognized as the most effective:
- Paglüferal. Reviews of patients show that the drug has a pronounced antiepileptic effect. Moreover, it has a moderate hypnotic effect.
- Gabagamma The product comes in capsule form. It is used to treat epileptic seizures, but is not used to treat children under three years of age.
- Wimpat. The medicine is necessary to restrain convulsive activity and is effective against epileptic seizures.
It should be remembered that only a specialist can appoint a substitute. An improperly selected drug causes harm to the body and only exacerbates the patient's condition.
The opinion of doctors
As an effective medication, Levetiracetam has established itself. Reviews of adult patients and specialists prove its ability to eliminate epileptic seizures. The practice of doctors confirms that drug therapy brings a lasting result.
Immediately after taking a positive effect, the symptoms are sharply reduced, while side effects are usually not observed. Despite the rather impressive list of unpleasant phenomena indicated in the annotation, during treatment they do not bother everyone. In addition, the drug is one of the few that is approved for use in pediatrics, as well as for the treatment of patients over 65 years of age.
Levetiracetam is a proven drug that helps eliminate epileptic seizures. If the remedy is prescribed by a doctor and the patient follows all his recommendations, then the unpleasant symptoms of the disease quickly stop.