Doctors at the University of California, Davis, Medical Center have identified a promising new treatment for epilepsy.

   The drug Levetiracetam can reduce the number of seizures and help patients lead more productive lives, they said in the journal Epilepsy and Behavior. The antiepileptic drug typically is used in combination with other drugs, but the new study indicates it might be successful on its own as well.

   The results of another study reporting similar findings in patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy will be published in the European journal Seizure.

   “We found that LEV can be effective as a single drug, or monotherapy, in patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy, as well as in patients with difficult-to-control seizures,” said Taoufik Alsaadi, assistant professor of neurology and co-director of the UC Davis Comprehensive Epilepsy Program. “In addition, it is very well tolerated, with only a small number of patients discontinuing the drug due to side effects.”
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