Antiseizure Medications and Levetiracetam: Introduction

00:01 Hi, I'm Doctor Rhonda Lawes, and I want to welcome you to this discussion on anti-seizure medications.

00:07 Now specifically we're going to look at levetiracetam, otherwise known as keppra.

00:12 So by the end of this presentation, you'll be able to understand the mechanism of action of levetiracetam and other newer anti-seizure medications.

00:20 Now there's been some major milestones in anti-seizure medications. You see we've got a list of them up there starting at 1857 with our old friend.

00:30 Potassium bromide goes on through.

00:32 You see the other dates. You've got 1967 sodium valproate.

00:37 But look at 1975, what we're calling the modern era.

00:42 Now, this began with the establishment of the Anticonvulsant Drug Development program by the US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

00:51 So that's when we start the modern era.

00:54 So we've had an evolution of epileptic antiepileptic drugs, they're called AEDs,. So we've shifted from the older to the newer generation of medications.

01:04 Now there are several advantages as there usually are as newer medications are developed AEDs are no exception.

01:11 So they have the newer AEDs have improved safety profiles, fewer drug interactions, and they're tolerated better by the clients.

01:19 So from the 1990s to the 2000, you'll see a long list of AEDs that were found and discovered.

01:27 So you've got them listed there.

01:28 And there's the one we're going to focus in on.

01:31 You see it levetiracetam or Keppra.

01:35 Now AEDs have some molecular targets and they use these molecular targets to help control the seizures.

01:42 We've got a super cool graphic for you up there now when you look at that graphic, you see that it combines different molecular targets for anti-seizure medications and their corresponding drugs.

01:55 So what I want you to encourage you to do is I want you to look at that drawing.

01:59 I want you to look specifically for the SV2A molecular target. And that's where you should see levetiracetam written right by that. Got it? All right.

02:10 That's what we're going to focus on.

02:12 We wanted you to have this graphic so you can see all the richness and all the study that has gone into these medications, but we're going to focus on SV2A molecular target because that's what levetiracetam goes after. Now some of the medicines tend to work better for certain kinds of seizures than for others. But keep in mind, if one medicine fails, another one m ay work better, or a combination of medications may also be tried. See, the medications don't fix the problem that causes the seizures.

02:43 Instead, they work to decrease and hopefully stop the seizures from occurring.