eased every 2 weeks in increments of 1,000 mg as needed. Max: 3,000 mg/day.
Intravenous dosage
Adults and Adolescents >= 16 years
Initially, 500 mg IV twice daily. The dose may be increased every 2 weeks by 500 mg/dose (i.e., 1,000 mg/day) increments as needed. Max: 3,000 mg/day. There is no evidence that doses greater than 3,000 mg/day provide additional benefit.
Children and Adolescents 4 to 15 years
Initially, 10 mg/kg/dose IV twice daily. Increase the dosage every 2 weeks by 10 mg/kg/dose (i.e., 20 mg/kg/day) increments to the recommended dosage of 30 mg/kg IV twice daily. If a patient cannot tolerate this dose, it may be reduced. In clinical trials, the mean daily dose was 44 mg/kg/day (Max: 3,000 mg/day) in this age group.
Infants and Children 6 months to 3 years
Initially, 10 mg/kg/dose IV twice daily. Increase the dose every 2 weeks by 10 mg/kg/dose (i.e., 20 mg/kg/day) increments to the recommended dose of 25 mg/kg/dose IV twice daily. If a patient cannot tolerate this dose, it may be reduced. In clinical trials, the mean daily dose was 47 mg/kg/day in this age group.
Infants 1 to 5 months
Initially, 7 mg/kg/dose IV twice daily. Increase the dose every 2 weeks by 7 mg/kg/dose (i.e., 14 mg/kg/day) increments to the recommended dose of 21 mg/kg/dose IV twice daily. In clinical trials, the mean daily dose was 35 mg/kg/day in this age group; the effectiveness of lower doses has not been studied.
For the adjunctive treatment of myoclonic seizures in those with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy.
Oral dosage (oral solution, immediate-release tablets, and fast-melting tablets)
Adults, Adolescents, and Children 12 years and older
Initially, 500 mg PO twice daily. Increase the dose every 2 weeks by 500 mg/dose (i.e., 1,000 mg/day) increments to the recommended dose of 1,500 mg PO twice daily. Max: 3,000 mg/day. It is unknown if doses lower than 3,000 mg/day are effective.
Infants† and Children younger than 12 years†
Safety and efficacy have not been established. Initial doses of 5 to 10 mg/kg/dose PO twice daily titrated to a mean total daily dose of 30 to 50 mg/kg/day have been used in multiple retrospective reviews, controlled trials, and case series that include over 360 infants and children less than 4 years of age. However, a wide dosage range has been used (9 to 139 mg/kg/day PO). One prospective, observational study of 285 pediatric patients ages 0 to 17 years with refractory epilepsy reported that the majority of patients that responded to levetiracetam did so at doses in the 30 to 40 mg/kg/day range. Infants and young children were included in this study, but their data were not reported separately.
Intravenous dosage
Adults, Adolescents, and Children 12 years and older
Initially, 500 mg IV twice daily. Increase the dose every 2 weeks by 500 mg/dose (i.e., 1,000 mg/day) increments to the recommended dose of 1,500 mg IV twice daily. Max: 3,000 mg/day. It is unknown whether doses lower than 3,000 mg/day are effective.
Infants† and Children younger than 12 years†
Safety and efficacy have not been established. A mean dose of 50.4 mg/kg/day IV was used in a small retrospective review of 10 pediatric patients ranging in age from 3 weeks to 19 years for a variety of seizure disorders or prophylaxis. Three of the 10 patients were receiving oral levetiracetam prior to presentation and received IV therapy temporarily due to an inability to continue oral therapy because of an intercurrent illness. For those patients, the IV dosage used was equivalent to their p |
