Get Informed: Keppra

90

Patient Comments About
Keppra

Active Ingredient(s)

Levetiracetam

What does it do?

Keppra

This product is used in the treatment of seizures. Its mechanism of action is unknown.

Last Text Update:
 2010-Jul-31 12:48 AM
Last Data Update:
 2010-Jul-30 9:14 PM

Other Names

  • Keppra
  • Levetiracetam
  • Keppra XR

How Safe Is It?

Your Risk Rating
Please log in
Average Risk Rating
0:
Pregnancy Category
C
Black Box Warning:
No

Facts & Figures

Date Approved
30 Nov 1999
Est US Patients*
789,700
Generic Available
Yes
OTC Available
No

User Age Distribution*

15

< 21

25

21-39

40

40-59

19

60+

Age (Years)

* Estimated number of US people currently taking Keppra or its active ingredient based on population adjusted patient numbers registered with iGuard.org.

Other Resources

Recent alerts for Keppra

There have been no iGuard.org alerts regarding Keppra during the past year.

Keppra Safety Report

0:

The iGuard risk rating for Keppra is on hold. It means that we're waiting for more patients taking this medication to join iGuard before we can provide a more accurate safety assessment of this product.

Learn more about iGuard's risk ratings

  • Please login or register (it's free) so iGuard can check how Keppra interacts with other drugs and diseases in your profile.

What is Keppra used for?

iGuard is currently tracking more than 5,800 patients that use Keppra (or similar drugs with the same active ingredient(s)). Use the table below to learn why iGuard users take this product; click on any underlined condition to get information on other medications used for treatment.

Disease / Condition % Average Severity
Epilepsy/Seizures 90% mild 5 severe
Neuropathic Pain 5% mild 8 severe
Migraine/Headache 2% mild 8 severe
Other 2% mild 5 severe

How well does Keppra work?

iGuard regularly polls our more than 5,800 users taking Keppra (or similar drugs with the same active ingredient(s)) using the Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medications (TSQM) . This feedback is continuously updated in tables below for the benefit of the iGuard community. To request scores for specific patient subgroups, please contact research@iGuard.org.

Average Satisfaction Score

(out of 10)

Average Effectiveness Score

(out of 10)

72 78
80%
of patients are confident that the good things about Keppra outweigh the bad things.
17%
of patients wish they were told more before they started taking Keppra.

Common Side Effects of Keppra

iGuard regularly polls our more than 5,800 users taking Keppra (or similar drugs with the same active ingredient(s)) to monitor the development and frequency of side-effects. This feedback is continuously updated in tables and graphs below for the benefit of the iGuard community.

32%

32% of patients experience side-effects on Keppra

2%

2% of patients experience significant side-effects on Keppra


Most Common Side Effects...

  • 10% Mood/Behavior Changes
  • 5% Grogginess/Confusion
  • 5% Drowsiness
  • 5% Dizziness
  • = 10%

Less than 1%: Insomnia, Loss of Appetite, Memory/Speech Problems, Tremor


Global Patient Feedback for Keppra (Levetiracetam) ( Post a comment )

Comments, Questions, and Answers
Show Newest | Oldest first
English comments | Global comments

Question/Comment:

I found out two years ago that I have petit mahl epilepsy. After being diagnosed, I was started on the drugs Dilanatin and Neurontin. In the beginning I would get very sleepy, and after about three weeks most of the sleepiness went away. But, I was still having the seizures. Therefore, my medication was changed from Dilantin to Keppra. I still get a little sleepy in the afternoon, but, I don't have the seizures anymore. The one bad side effect I have is that I sometimes get really depressed.

49 year old Female – Source: iGuard United States

Posted: 2010-07-30 09:56:47

Question/Comment:

I was misdiagnosed with epilepsy and spent a week and a half on kepra, I could barely function, I literally sat on a sofa for a week and did not move, slurred speech, I was emotional,no appetite, completely drowsy. I lost an entire week of my life on this med.

23 year old Female – Source: iGuard United States

Posted: 2010-06-19 03:31:33

Question/Comment:

I've been taking Keppra for over a year and I noticed that I felt kind of drowsy during the first couple of weeks but that wore off. It has controlled my seizures more effectively than the meds I was on previously.

51 year old Female – Source: iGuard United States

Posted: 2010-06-04 20:53:42

Question/Comment:

I take Topamax and Welbutrin for RSD, which is chronic nerve pain. Along with that I also took Neurotin for several years. The usual side effects happened, weight gain, fatigue, sleepiness, etc. Recently I was switched to Keppra, which didn't work nearly at all, plus had all the same side effects, and the added one of causing my really pretty nearly waist-length thick, shiny hair to fall out by the handful. I know I shouldn't have bragged about it, but when you have been sick for so long. it's nice to still have something that makes you feel pretty, and now I don't. I no longer take Keppra. I am hoping that my hair will grow back in. but I'm not holding my breath.

55 year old Female – Source: iGuard United States

Posted: 2010-03-26 23:19:54

Question/Comment:

I take Keppra 1500 mg for partial nocturnal seizures and it has helped.
I just feel a little more anxious than ususal but then I started taking zoloft 75mg and it seemed to help. It's an ok drug. I was on tegretol preciously 600 mg for years and it helped but it did a number on my liver. That is why I was switched over to Keppra .

51 year old Female – Source: iGuard United States

Posted: 2010-01-24 12:47:13

Answer/Reply:

hi my name is pauline i suffer from grand mal seizures and have done since i was nine years old i take epilim and epauntin. doctors tryed me on keppra a few years ago and was not keen on them myself ended back on my old tablets as the seizures where worse on these tablets. i now try and take alot off vitiams they do help a little but not with the pain.

46 year old Female – Source: iGuard United Kingdom

Posted: 2010-02-07 15:26:26

Return to main medication page Page 1 of 3

You may post comments for the benefit of other patients or post questions other patients might be able to answer. Comments are submitted for possible publication on the condition that they may be edited. Only your age and gender will be published with your comment, although your other user details will be securely recorded for verification purposes.

Comments may be either questions or answers to previously posted questions. Any iGuard.org user may post questions and reply.

Your Comments or Questions:

Simply type the text you wish to publish and click submit. Please confine comments to those that may be useful to other patients.

characters remaining

DISCLAIMER: iGuard is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. iGuard cannot and does not take into consideration every possible interaction or account for individual responses to medicine. Different individuals may respond to medication in different ways. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for any given patient. Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with any questions you may have before making any changes to your treatment. The use of the iGuard site and its content is at your own risk. The iGuard site and the information contained in it is intended for users in the United States and information in other countries may be different.

HACKER SAFE certified sites prevent over 99.9% of hacker crime.
Bookmark and Share
Back to Consumer Med Safety