Nonepileptic seizures under levetiracetam therapy

Andrei Ignatenco, Shahar Arzy, Joseph Ghika, Didier Genoud, Peter W. Kaplan, Stanislav Groppa, Margitta Seeck*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

We describe two patients with epilepsy who presented with nonepileptic seizures (NES) when started on levetiracetam (LEV), which disappeared or significantly decreased when LEV was discontinued. NES are traditionally attributed to psychic trauma often after physical or sexual abuse, whereas the psychiatric side effects of levetiracetam largely encompass depression, hallucinations, and psychosis. We conclude that NES are a rare side effect of LEV treatment and part of the spectrum of behavioral changes observed with LEV treatment.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)526-527
Number of pages2
JournalEpilepsy and Behavior
Volume19
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2010
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This work was supported by the following grants: SNF 320030-122073, 320030-113766, 320030-118385 , SPUM grants 33CM30-124089 , and 33CM30-124115 .

Keywords

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Levetiracetam
  • Nonepileptic seizures
  • Psychogenic seizures
  • Side effects
  • Tumor

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