Hi doctor, I am a-28-year old female diagnosed with SLE six years ago. I was on medication for four years and I stopped the medication when there had been no flare-ups or any syndrome for a while. Three months back, I had a flare up for the first time in three years. The symptoms were low fever, joint pain, and headaches. One night I had a seizure due to the flare up and low blood pressure. The doctor put me back on all the medications plus Keppra. My first question is how long should I keep taking Keppra? When I checked with my neurologist, he said it is supposed to be a lifelong treatment even though the seizure only happened once. All other doctors said it was associated with the lupus flare. I know Keppra can cause side effects so I am wondering if it is really necessary to take this drug for life when I had the seizure only once and it was due to lupus. If the dosage can be reduced (or eventually eliminated), at what pace should I do that? I am currently taking 500 mg twice a day.
Hello. I read carefully your question and would explain that this is the lowest therapeutic dose of Keppra. So the dose cannot be reduced further. Regarding the period of treatment, I would explain that it is necessary to take Keppra (Levetiracetam) at least three years after the last seizure. After this period of time, we can try to reduce the dose very gradually. If seizures reoccur, treatment should be continued with this dose for another three years and so on. We cannot predict if you will be on this medication for your entire life. For more information consult a neurologist online -->