Promising Epilepsy Treatment Reported
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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