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Levetiracetam Appears Useful in Women and Children With Bipolar Disease: Presented at APA

By Ed Susman

NEW YORK, NY -- May 10, 2004 -- The antiepileptic agent levetiracetam may be useful in treating patients with bipolar disorders who, despite standard regimens, still have symptoms of the disorder, researchers said here May 4^th at the American Psychiatric Association 157^th Annual Meeting.

"Levetiracetam was generally well tolerated and no adverse events were reported," said Ali Ahmadi, MD, Department of Psychiatry, Medical Center of Central Georgia, Macon, Georgia. The addition of levetiracetam improves symptoms such as mood instability, irritability, impulsivity, poor sleep and racing thoughts, he said.

Over the past decade several of the newer antiepileptic drugs -- such as levetiracetam and topiramate -- have been tested extensively in other areas of neurology and psychiatry. Dr. Ahmadi said levetiracetam's safety profile and mechanisms of actions have led to its use in bipolar disorder patients.

He reviewed charts of 30 patients -- 18 women and 12 men -- who ranged in age from 5 to 50 years. Eight of the nine children treated were boys. None of the girls in the study -- which included three adolescents -- were under the age of 12 years.

Dr. Ahmadi said that 19 patients appeared to show good or excellent response to treatment with levetiracetam. The children (ages 5-12) scored 3.8 on a scale of 0-4, where 4 represented an excellent response. Adolescents scored 2.4 and adults 3.0.

"Results of this chart review suggest that levetiracetam may be effective in improving selected symptoms of bipolar disorder when added to existing therapy," Dr. Amahdi said during his poster presentation. "Additional studies are needed to evaluate the effects of levetiracetam for the treatment of patients with bipolar disorder."

The investigator-initiated study received financial support from UCB Pharma, the company that developed levetiracetam.


[Presentation title: "Levetiracetam as an add-on in adults and children with bipolar disorder." Abstract #NR404]

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