Levetiracetam monotherapy for newly diagnosed epilepsy patients

We retrospectively reviewed the charts of all of our patients with a history of partial seizures, with and without secondarily generalisation, who received levetiracetam (LEV; Keppra) for treatment of their seizures during the years 2000-2002. Forty-five patients were identified, 13 of whom began LEV as first line therapy. Eleven patients continued on LEV for at least 6 months; six of whom became seizure free and five had >50% reduction in their seizures. The remaining two patients discontinued LEV because of adverse effects. LEV monotherapy can be effective and well tolerated in adults with new onset seizures. A prospective, large, double-blind monotherapy study for newly diagnosed patients is needed to confirm this finding.