Neurology
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The effect of a single dose of 1,000 mg of levetiracetam on essential tremor was investigated in 24 patients in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. There was a significant reduction of hand tremor for at least 2 hours as measured by accelerometry and functional tests.
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Seizures may occur after orthotopic liver transplantation. Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are used to treat these seizures, but the immunosuppressant regimen also may be altered. Levetiracetam is an attractive treatment because of its efficacy, lack of hepatic enzyme induction, and its rapid attainment of serum levels. Treatment with levetiracetam is efficacious, and levetiracetam-treated patients require significantly lower doses of immunosuppressant medications to achieve an equivalent antirejection effect.
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Case Reports
The frequency of intractable seizures after stopping AEDs in seizure-free children with epilepsy.
After 1 to 4 years, seizure-free children with epilepsy are encouraged to stop daily antiepileptic drug (AED) treatment. Approximately 70% are successful. The authors examined how often intractable epilepsy follows discontinuation of AED treatment in a population-based cohort of children with epilepsy. ⋯ Approximately 1% of children who became free of seizure and discontinued antiepileptic drug treatment had recurrent seizures that could not be controlled again with medication. The authors were unable to predict this outcome. It remains unclear whether a similar outcome would have occurred if antiepileptic drugs had not been discontinued.