Levetiracetam

ATC Code N03AX14

Levetiracetam

Definition

A pyrrolidine with antiepileptic activity. The exact mechanism through which levetiracetam exerts its effects is unknown but does not involve inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitter activity. Stereoselective binding of levetiracetam was confined to synaptic plasma membranes in the central nervous system with no binding occurring in peripheral tissue. Levetiracetam inhibits burst firing without affecting normal neuronal excitability, which suggests that it may selectively prevent hyper-synchronization of epileptiform burst firing and propagation of seizure activity.

Also known as (S)-alpha-Ethyl-2-oxo-1-pyrrolidineacetamide, 1-Pyrrolidineacetamide, Alpha-ethyl-2-oxo-,(S)-, Keppra, LEVETIRACETAM — per NCIT

Also identified as

Indications

Disease Relation Source
Epilepsy with generalized tonic-clonic seizures may treat MEDRT · Public domain (U.S. Government work)
Focal epilepsy may treat MEDRT · Public domain (U.S. Government work)
Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy may treat MEDRT · Public domain (U.S. Government work)

Organ Effects

Organ Side effect / interaction Source
Brain may treat a disease of this organ DERIVED · CC BY 4.0
Central nervous system may treat a disease of this organ DERIVED · CC BY 4.0
Nervous system may treat a disease of this organ DERIVED · CC BY 4.0

3 entries above are marked DERIVED: Atlas Médico inferred them by combining two sourced claims, and no source asserts these links directly. Treat them as a navigation aid, not as a clinical statement.