Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Dramatic weight loss with levetiracetam.

Philippe Gelisse1, Raul Juntas-Morales, Pierre Genton

  • 1Epilepsy Unit, Gui de Chauliac hospital, Montpellier, France. p_gelisse@hotmail.com

Epilepsia
|September 11, 2007
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Deep Brain Stimulation of the Anterior Thalamic Nucleus in Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome with EEG Changes During Off-On Stimulation.

Brain stimulation·2026
Same author

Proteomic analysis reveals divergent inflammatory mechanisms of COVID-associated Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Journal of molecular medicine (Berlin, Germany)·2026
Same author

Gene Therapy for Amino Acid Decarboxylase Deficiency: Clinical and Imaging Outcomes in a French Cohort.

Movement disorders : official journal of the Movement Disorder Society·2026
Same author

Cyclic alternating patterns of encephalopathy: implications for triphasic waves in noncomatose patients with metabolic-toxic encephalopathies.

Critical care (London, England)·2026
Same author

Centroparietal periodic sharp-wave discharges and biphasic complexes: Novel EEG biomarkers for early diagnosis of Rasmussen encephalitis.

Epilepsy & behavior reports·2026
Same author

Unveiling pathogens and contaminants: refining metagenomics for clinical diagnostics.

Frontiers in microbiology·2026
Same journal

Psychological stress during wartime and its association with seizure-related emergency department utilization.

Epilepsia·2026
Same journal

WONOEP appraisal: Biomarkers and treatment strategies beyond the synapse.

Epilepsia·2026
Same journal

Does electrocorticographic guidance improve seizure outcomes following cavernoma resection?

Epilepsia·2026
Same journal

Raising resilience: A parenting intervention for families affected by childhood epilepsy.

Epilepsia·2026
Same journal

Epileptogenic lesions in the Australian epilepsy project: A harmonized 3-T magnetic resonance imaging protocol and its diagnostic yield.

Epilepsia·2026
Same journal

Responsible use of artificial intelligence in peer-reviewed publications in epilepsy.

Epilepsia·2026
See all related articles

Levetiracetam, often considered weight-neutral, was associated with significant weight loss in 19 patients. Women appear to be at higher risk for this adverse effect.

Area of Science:

  • Neurology
  • Pharmacology
  • Clinical Medicine

Background:

  • Levetiracetam is widely recognized as a weight-neutral antiepileptic drug.
  • This study investigates a series of cases reporting significant weight loss in patients using levetiracetam.
  • Reported doses ranged from 500 to 2000 mg/day.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To document and analyze cases of significant weight loss potentially linked to levetiracetam use.
  • To identify patient characteristics and contributing factors associated with levetiracetam-induced weight loss.

Main Methods:

  • A case series approach was employed, dividing patients into groups based on the likelihood of levetiracetam being the sole cause of weight loss.
  • Data from patients experiencing weight loss attributed solely to levetiracetam (Group 1) and those with potential confounding factors (Group 2) were analyzed.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Additional cases from a national drug safety database (Group 3) were included for a broader perspective.

    • Main Results:

    • Group 1 comprised 12 patients (9 female, 3 male) with weight loss ranging from 8.1% to 28.6%.
    • Seven patients in Group 1 reported reduced caloric intake due to decreased appetite or altered taste perception.
    • Group 2 included seven females experiencing weight loss between 10% and 26.6%, with some cases involving concurrent medication changes.

    Conclusions:

    • The findings suggest that levetiracetam can induce significant weight loss, challenging its classification as strictly weight-neutral.
    • Women appear to be more susceptible to levetiracetam-associated weight loss.
    • Initial body weight was not identified as a predictive factor for this adverse effect.