Various anticonvulsant drugs are used to maintain normal life when epilepsy is detected. Among these drugs, Levetiracetam deserves special attention. Reviews of specialists and patients taking it show that the drug eliminates unpleasant symptoms, causes a minimum of side effects, but requires competent prescription.
Active ingredient
The active ingredient of the drug is levetiracetam. The drug goes on sale in the form of tablets with 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 different dosages. The medication may contain 250, 500, 750 and 1000 mg of the active ingredient.
For ease of use, the tablets are packaged in the usualblisters of 10 pieces. At the same time, each pack contains from 3 to 6 such records.
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 the active ingredient.
How does the medicine work?
Levetiracetam tablets are prescribed to eliminate convulsive seizures, as well as non-convulsive epileptic seizures. It has been clinically proven that the drug, entering the digestive tract, is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream. Plasma concentration reaches a maximum after about an hour and a half and is fully consistent with the accepted dosage. Absorption of the drug in the intestine does not depend on food intake.
It is known that the half-life does not depend 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 is up to ten hours.
If the medicine is given to children, then the maximum concentration in the blood is reached after 30-60 minutes. The rate of elimination 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 to both adult patients and children who have reached the age of fouryears old;
- 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 drug is used in combination or not. Regardless of the strategy chosen, patient reviews show that the drug is effective, helps reduce the number of seizures and causes a minimum of side effects.
Monotherapy
Levetiracetam can 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, this tactic is not always used and depends directly on the age of the patient.
Thus, doctors often prescribe the drug to adolescents over 16 years of age, twice a day, 250 mg. If the treatment goes according to plan and brings results, the dosage is increased. It is necessary to take up to 1000 mg of the drug per day, divided into two doses. As practice shows, such therapy justifies its purpose, and the number of epileptic seizures in the patient is significantly reduced, or they disappear altogether.
Complex Therapy
Levetiracetam is also often used as part of complex treatment. 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. At the same time, 7 mg of the active ingredient must be taken per kilogram of mass.
If a child has reached the age of six, then 10 mg of the active substance must be taken per kilogram of weight. The dosage is gradually increased, but it should be noted that the maximum dose is 30 mg per kilogram.
Adult patients are prescribed pills. It is necessary to drink pills containing 500 mg of a medicinal substance twice a day. Gradually increase the dosage to 3,000 mg per day.
As the reviews show, eating does not affect the success of treatment. However, for better absorption of the medicine, it is necessary to take the tablets with plenty of water.
Levetiracetam: patient reviews
As shown by the responses of patients taking the drug, it is generally well tolerated. However, quite often patients complain of excessive drowsiness and lethargy. There are reports of headaches and dizziness during treatment.
Basically, the drug has no effect on the nervous processes. But some sometimes experience confusion and anxiety.
Often the pharmacy offers the drug "Levetiracetam Canon". Patient reviews confirm that the effect of the drugs is identical. The only difference is the manufacturer. Against the background of treatment, improvements are very noticeable even at the initial stages. For some, monotherapy does not always help, and doctors are forced to prescribe drugs in conjunction with others.means.
Despite good tolerance, there are patients who complain about side effects. Especially often they appear as a rash on the skin.
List of contraindications
Levetiracetam has a fairly large list of contraindications. Reviews of experts confirm that self-treatment 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 up to four years of age;
- in the form of a solution is not prescribed for children under the age of one month;
- also the solution is contraindicated in the presence of fructose malabsorption and intolerance;
- the drug is not used if the patient is diagnosed with acute renal failure;
- in the presence of liver disease, clinical tests are needed 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 old, Levetiracetam is used. However, therapy requires special close supervision by a specialist.
Pregnancy and lactation
There are no sufficient clinical studies on the effect onripening fruit of the drug "Levetiracetam". Reviews are not enough to use the medication in standard therapy. Except when there is a threat to the woman's life, the drug is not prescribed during pregnancy.
It is also known that the active ingredient of the drug passes into breast milk. Therefore, during breastfeeding, the medication is not used, or doctors recommend stopping lactation and switching to mixtures.
Possible analogues
The attending physician, if necessary, may refuse therapy with Levetiracetam and prescribe an analogue. In this case, the preparations may differ both in the active substance and in the auxiliary ingredients. The following means are recognized as the most effective:
- "Pagluferal". Patient reviews show that the remedy has a pronounced antiepileptic effect. However, it has a mild hypnotic effect.
- "Gabagamma". The product is supplied in the form of capsules. Used for the treatment of epileptic seizures, but not for the treatment of children under the age of three.
- "Vimpat". The drug is needed to control seizure activity and is effective against epileptic seizures.
It should be remembered that only a specialist can appoint a substitute. An incorrectly selected drug harms the body and only aggravates the patient's condition.
Doctors' opinion
As an effective drug, Levetiracetam has proven itself. Reviewsadult patients and professionals prove its ability to eliminate epileptic seizures. The practice of doctors confirms that drug therapy brings lasting results.
Immediately after taking, a positive effect is noted, the symptoms are sharply reduced, while side effects are usually not observed. Despite the rather impressive list of unpleasant phenomena indicated in the annotation, not everyone is concerned about them during treatment. 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.
Levetiracetam is a proven drug that helps control epileptic seizures. If the remedy is prescribed by a doctor and the patient follows all his recommendations, then the unpleasant symptoms of the disease are quickly stopped.
