Affiliations: Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan
Medical School, Oakwood Healthcare System, Dearborn, MI, USA
Note: [] Correspondence: Yasser Awaad, MD, MSc, FAAN, FAAP, Director,
Pediatric Neurology and Movement Disorders, Oakwood Healthcare System, 1331
Monroe Street, Dearborn, MI 48124, USA. Tel.: +1 313 724 4810; Fax: +1 313 724
4840; E-mail: yasser.awaad@oakwood.org
Abstract: Tics are a common disorder in children. Some available drugs have
unacceptable side effects, and thus alternative treatments are needed.
Levetiracetam is an antiepileptic drug reported to be useful for the treatment
of tics. Patients age 18 years and younger with tics and Tourette syndrome were
enrolled in this prospective, open-label study. Seventy patients were treated
with levetiracetam as monotherapy for four years. The initial dose of
levetiracetam was 250 mg/day. The dose was titrated over three weeks to 1,000
to 2,000 mg/day. Clinical outcomes were assessed with the Clinical Global
Impression Scale, Yale Global Tic Severity Scale, Revised Conners' Parent
Rating Scale, and Revised Conners' Teacher Rating Scale. After four years of
treatment with levetiracetam, all 70 patients showed some improvements based on
the scales used. A total of 49 patients improved with regard to behavior and
school performance. Levetiracetam was generally well tolerated. Despite the
limitations of open-label studies, these results suggest that levetiracetam may
be useful in treating tics in children and adolescents. Given its established
safety profile, levetiracetam is a candidate for further study.
Keywords: Levetiracetam, Tourette syndrome, tics, adolescents, children
