Comparison of Levetiracetam With Sodium Valproate in Controlling Seizure in Patients Suffering From Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy

Background Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy is the most common type of generalized idiopathic epilepsy. Sodium valproate is the first line of medications, but has many complications and 15% of patients are resistant to this medicine. This is a lifelong disease and in case of stopping the medication, relapsing of seizures is seen in more than 80% of cases. Objectives Analysis the effectiveness of these two drugs on controlling patients seizures by comparing them in mono therapy treatment of JME and to represent levetiracetam as a replacement of sodium valproate for first line medication of JME. Patients and Methods In this study we compared the effectiveness of sodium valproate and levetiracetam for 66 patients having juvenile myoclonic epilepsy and followed them for 6 months. Results Comparison of mean generalized tonic colonic attacks in two groups with didn’t show meaningful differences (P = 0.95) , also, by comparing the mean of myoclonus attacks in patients of two groups before starting study, no meaningful difference was gained (P = 0.71). Conclusions It became clear at the end of the study that the effectiveness of two drugs were the same and they didn’t have any meaningful difference. According to the result gained from this study, levetiracetam is a proper alternative treatment instead of sodium valproate which has appropriate effectiveness along with lower complications