Levetiracetam - Part 2
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Levetiracetam - Part 2

3:12 Jan 12, 2026
About this episode
In the second part of this series, Dr. Neishay Ayub discusses levetiracetam and one of its most common side effects, irritability. Show citations: Abou-Khalil B. Levetiracetam in the treatment of epilepsy. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2008;4(3):507-523. doi:10.2147/ndt.s2937 Löscher W, Gillard M, Sands ZA, Kaminski RM, Klitgaard H. Synaptic Vesicle Glycoprotein 2A Ligands in the Treatment of Epilepsy and Beyond. CNS Drugs. 2016;30(11):1055-1077. doi:10.1007/s40263-016-0384-x Rogawski MA. Brivaracetam: a rational drug discovery success story. Br J Pharmacol. 2008;154(8):1555-1557. doi:10.1038/bjp.2008.221 Ulloa CM, Towfigh A, Safdieh J. Review of levetiracetam, with a focus on the extended release formulation, as adjuvant therapy in controlling partial-onset seizures. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2009;5:467-476. doi:10.2147/ndt.s4844 Wu PP, Cao BR, Tian FY, Gao ZB. Development of SV2A Ligands for Epilepsy Treatment: A Review of Levetiracetam, Brivaracetam, and Padsevonil. Neurosci Bull. 2024;40(5):594-608. doi:10.1007/s12264-023-01138-2 Mahmoud A, Tabassum S, Al Enazi S, et al. Amelioration of Levetiracetam-Induced Behavioral Side Effects by Pyridoxine. A Randomized Double Blind Controlled Study. Pediatr Neurol. 2021;119:15-21. doi:10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2021.02.010 Major P, Greenberg E, Khan A, Thiele EA. Pyridoxine supplementation for the treatment of levetiracetam-induced behavior side effects in children: preliminary results. Epilepsy Behav. 2008;13(3):557-559. doi:10.1016/j.yebeh.2008.07.004 Romoli M, Perucca E, Sen A. Pyridoxine supplementation for levetiracetam-related neuropsychiatric adverse events: A systematic review. Epilepsy Behav. 2020;103(Pt A):106861. doi:10.1016/j.yebeh.2019.106861 Show transcript: Dr. Neishay Ayub: Hello, my name is Neishay Ayub, and today we will be discussing levetiracetam and one of its most common side effects, irritability. While levetiracetam can be remarkably helpful for patients, behavioral adverse effects were noted in post-marketing analysis and open-label studies in adult and pediatric patients. For this, physicians started using vitamin B6 supplementation, par
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