Levipil 500 Tablet: Uses, Composition, Side Effects & FAQs

Levipil 500 is a tablet used to prevent and control seizures (fits) in people with epilepsy. It is a prescription-only medicine in India, so you cannot buy it without a valid doctor's prescription. Each tablet contains levetiracetam 500 mg, which calms the abnormal electrical signals in the brain that set off seizures. Taken regularly as prescribed, it helps reduce how often seizures happen and how severe they are.

Levipil 500 is a prescribed medicine for epilepsy. The number "500" tells you the strength of the tablet: each film-coated tablet contains 500 mg of the active ingredient levetiracetam. Levetiracetam belongs to a group of medicines called anticonvulsants, or anti-epileptics, whose job is to keep brain activity steady.

Doctors do not fully understand levetiracetam, but its known action is precise. It attaches to a protein called SV2A, found on the tiny sacs brain cells use to release chemical signals, and this helps dampen the abnormal bursts of activity that cause a seizure. It calms abnormal activity without blunting most normal brain function.

Doctors usually prescribe Levipil 500 for:

• Partial-onset seizures, where the abnormal activity starts in one part of the brain - added to other epilepsy medicines
• Partial-onset seizures taken on their own, when the doctor starts treatment with just one epilepsy medicine
• Myoclonic seizures, brief, shock-like jerks of the arms or upper body, in juvenile myoclonic epilepsy - with other epilepsy medicines
• Primary generalised tonic-clonic seizures, where the whole body stiffens and jerks (formerly called "grand mal") - with other epilepsy medicines

Levipil is a controller, not a rescue medicine. It does not stop a seizure that has already started, and it is not an antibiotic, painkiller or sleeping tablet.

1. Swallow the tablet whole with a glass of water.
2. Do not crush, chew or break it.
3. Take it with or without food, whichever suits you.
4. Take it at the same times each day — most people take it once in the morning and once in the evening.
5. Keep taking it every day unless your doctor tells you otherwise.

Your doctor decides the dose based on your age, weight, the type of seizure and your kidney function. For most adults, treatment starts at 500 mg twice a day, and if needed the dose may be raised every two weeks up to a maximum of 3000 mg a day (1500 mg twice a day).

Never increase the dose on your own. A higher dose does not stop seizures faster, but it does raise the risk of sleepiness, dizziness and mood changes.

For children, the dose is worked out by weight, and young children may be given the liquid form — only a paediatrician should set it. If you have kidney disease, your doctor will usually use a lower dose.

If someone takes too much, take them to the nearest hospital emergency department straight away and carry the tablet strip with you.

Take the missed dose when you remember, unless it is almost time for the next one. If the next dose is close, skip the missed one and carry on as usual. Never take two doses together to make up for a missed one.

Levipil is absorbed within about an hour of a dose, but you may not "feel" it working - controlling seizures usually takes a few weeks of dose adjustment. Tell your doctor if seizures continue or become worse during this time.

Store the tablets in their original strip at room temperature, away from moisture, heat and direct sunlight — not in the bathroom. Keep them out of sight and reach of children, and do not use tablets past the expiry date printed on the pack.

Most people take Levipil without any trouble. When side effects happen, they are usually mild and settle as your body adjusts, often within the first few weeks.

Common and mild:

• Sleepiness or tiredness
• Dizziness
• Headache
• Irritability or feeling agitated
• Feeling sick (nausea) or loss of appetite
• Weakness
• Stuffy nose, sore throat or other mild infections

Rare but serious (stop the medicine and see a doctor right away):

• Mood changes such as aggression, deep sadness, or thoughts of harming yourself
• A skin rash, especially one that blisters or peels
• Swelling of the face, lips or throat, or trouble breathing
• Seizures that become more frequent or different from before

The sleepiness and dizziness come from the medicine's calming effect on the brain, and mood-related effects such as irritability or aggression — these are most likely in the first weeks or after a dose increase.

• Anyone allergic to levetiracetam or to any other ingredient in the tablet
• People who have had a severe skin reaction to levetiracetam before
• Children younger than 1 month old (for seizures, using this tablet form)

Tell your doctor before taking Levipil 500 if you have:

• Kidney disease (the medicine leaves the body through the kidneys, so the dose usually needs to be lower)
• Depression, a mood disorder, or past suicidal thoughts (anti-epileptics can raise the risk of new or worsening mood problems)
• Pregnancy or plans to become pregnant (treatment usually continues, with dose checks and higher-dose folic acid)
• Breastfeeding (the medicine passes into breast milk, so it is not usually used while breastfeeding unless your doctor advises it)
• Older age (sleepiness and weakness may be more noticeable)
• Any other epilepsy medicine (your doctor will plan how the doses fit together)
• A laxative called macrogol, or the medicine methotrexate (both can interact with levetiracetam)

Levipil helps prevent seizures, but some problems need urgent care:

• Thoughts of harming or killing yourself — call Tele-MANAS at 14416 or 1800-891-4416 (24×7, Government of India), or emergency services at 112 in an emergency
• A new skin rash, blistering or peeling skin, with or without fever
• Swelling of the face, lips or throat, or difficulty breathing
• Seizures that happen more often or feel different from usual
• High fever with sore throat, mouth sores or unusual bruising
• You become pregnant or are planning pregnancy while on the medicine

Levipil 500 is a prescription-only epilepsy tablet containing levetiracetam 500 mg, which calms the abnormal brain activity that causes fits. Take it exactly as prescribed, at the same two times every day, and never stop or change the dose without your doctor's plan. Sleepiness, dizziness and irritability usually pass as your body adjusts; mood changes, rashes or worsening seizures need medical attention right away.