Keppra

Do not take it if

From the package leaflet in EMA’s product information, p. 146.

How to take it

These directions are for this exact strength and form. Another one is different.

• Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor or pharmacist has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.
• Take the number of tablets following your doctor’s instructions.
• Keppra must be taken twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening, at about the same time each day.
• Adjunctive Therapy and monotherapy (from 16 years of age)
• Adults (≥18 years) and adolescents (12 to 17 years) weighing 50 kg or more:
• Recommended dose: between 1000 mg and 3000 mg each day.
• When you will first start taking Keppra, your doctor will prescribe you a lower dose during 2 weeks before giving you the lowest daily dose.
• Example: if your daily dose is intended to be 1000 mg, your reduced starting dose is 1 tablet of 250 mg in the morning and 1 tablet of 250 mg in the evening, and the dose will be gradually incremented to reach 1000 mg daily after 2 weeks.
• Adolescents (12 to 17 years) weighing 50 kg or less:
• Your doctor will prescribe the most appropriate pharmaceutical form of Keppra according to weight and dose.
• Dose in infants (1 month to 23 months) and children (2 to 11 years) weighing less than 50 kg:
• Your doctor will prescribe the most appropriate pharmaceutical form of Keppra according to the age, weight and dose.
• Keppra 100 mg/ml oral solution is a formulation more appropriate to infants and children under the age of 6 years and to children and adolescent (from 6 to 17 years) weighing less than 50kg and when tablets don’t allow accurate dosage.
• Method of administration Swallow Keppra tablets with a sufficient quantity of liquid (e.g. a glass of water). You may take Keppra with or without food. After oral administration the bitter taste of levetiracetam may be experienced.
• Duration of treatment
• Keppra is used as a chronic treatment. You should continue Keppra treatment for as long as your doctor has told you.
• Do not stop your treatment without your doctor’s advice as this could increase your seizures.
• If you take more Keppra than you should The possible side effects of an overdose of Keppra are sleepiness, agitation, aggression, decrease of alertness, inhibition of breathing and coma.
• Contact your doctor if you took more tablets than you should. Your doctor will establish the best possible treatment of overdose.
• If you forget to take Keppra:
• Contact your doctor if you have missed one or more doses.
• Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten tablet.
• If you stop taking Keppra:
• If stopping treatment, Keppra should be discontinued gradually to avoid an increase of seizures.
• Should your doctor decide to stop your Keppra treatment, he/she will instruct you about the gradual withdrawal of Keppra.
• If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

From the package leaflet in EMA’s product information, p. 148–149.

Warnings and precautions

From the package leaflet in EMA’s product information, p. 147.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

From the package leaflet in EMA’s product information, p. 147.

Other medicines

From the package leaflet in EMA’s product information, p. 147.

Driving and using machines

• Keppra may impair your ability to drive or operate any tools or machinery, as it may make you feel sleepy. This is more likely at the beginning of treatment or after an increase in the dose. You should not drive or use machines until it is established that your ability to perform such activities is not affected.
• Keppra 750 mg tablets contain Sunset Yellow FCF (E110).
• Sunset Yellow FCF (E110) colouring agent may cause allergic reactions.
• Keppra contains sodium This medicine contains less than 1 mmol sodium (23 mg) per tablet, that is to say essentially ‘sodium- free’.

From the package leaflet in EMA’s product information, p. 147–148.

Side effects

• Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
• Tell your doctor immediately, or go to your nearest emergency department, if you experience:
• weakness, feel light-headed or dizzy or have difficulty breathing, as these may be signs of a serious allergic (anaphylactic) reaction
• swelling of the face, lips, tongue and throat (Quincke’s oedema)
• flu-like symptoms and a rash on the face followed by an extended rash with a high temperature, increased levels of liver enzymes seen in blood tests and an increase in a type of white blood cell (eosinophilia), enlarged lymph nodes and the involvement of other body organs (Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms [DRESS])
• symptoms such as low urine volume, tiredness, nausea, vomiting, confusion and swelling in the legs, ankles or feet, as this may be a sign of sudden decrease of kidney function
• a skin rash which may form blisters and look like small targets (central dark spots surrounded by a paler area, with a dark ring around the edge) (erythema multiforme)
• a widespread rash with blisters and peeling skin, particularly around the mouth, nose, eyes and genitals (Stevens-Johnson syndrome)
• a more severe form of rash causing skin peeling in more than 30% of the body surface (toxic epidermal necrolysis)
• signs of serious mental changes or if someone around you notices signs of confusion, somnolence (sleepiness), amnesia (loss of memory), memory impairment (forgetfulness), abnormal behaviour or other neurological signs including involuntary or uncontrolled movements. These could be symptoms of an encephalopathy.
• The most frequently reported side effects are nasopharyngitis, somnolence (sleepiness), headache, fatigue and dizziness. At the beginning of the treatment or at dose increase side effects like sleepiness, tiredness and dizziness may be more common. These effects should however decrease over time.
• Very common: may affect more than 1 in 10 people
• nasopharyngitis;
• somnolence (sleepiness), headache.
• Common: may affect up to 1 in 10 people
• anorexia (loss of appetite);
• depression, hostility or aggression, anxiety, insomnia, nervousness or irritability;
• convulsion, balance disorder (equilibrium disorder), dizziness (sensation of unsteadiness), lethargy (lack of energy and enthusiasm), tremor (involuntary trembling);
• vertigo (sensation of rotation);
• cough;
• abdominal pain, diarrhoea, dyspepsia (indigestion), vomiting, nausea;
• rash;
• asthenia/fatigue (tiredness).
• Uncommon: may affect up to 1 in 100 people
• decreased number of blood platelets, decreased number of white blood cells;
• weight decrease, weight increase;
• suicide attempt and suicidal ideation, mental disorder, abnormal behaviour, hallucination, anger, confusion, panic attack, emotional instability/mood swings, agitation;
• amnesia (loss of memory), memory impairment (forgetfulness), abnormal coordination/ataxia (impaired coordinated movements), paraesthesia (tingling), disturbance in attention (loss of concentration);
• diplopia (double vision), vision blurred;
• elevated/abnormal values in a liver function test;
• hair loss, eczema, pruritus;
• muscle weakness, myalgia (muscle pain);
• injury.
• Rare: may affect up to 1 in 1000 people
• infection;
• decreased number of all blood cell types;
• severe allergic reactions (DRESS, anaphylactic reaction [severe and important allergic reaction], Quincke’s oedema [swelling of the face, lips, tongue and throat]);
• decreased blood sodium concentration;
• suicide, personality disorders (behavioural problems), thinking abnormal (slow thinking, unable to concentrate);
• delirium;
• encephalopathy (see sub-section “Tell your doctor immediately” for a detailed description of symptoms);
• seizures may become worse or happen more often;
• uncontrollable muscle spasms affecting the head, torso and limbs, difficulty in controlling movements, hyperkinesia (hyperactivity);
• change of the heart rhythm (Electrocardiogram);
• pancreatitis;
• liver failure, hepatitis;
• sudden decrease in kidney function;
• skin rash, which may form blisters and looks like small targets (central dark spots surrounded by a paler area, with a dark ring around the edge) (erythema multiforme), a widespread rash with blisters and peeling skin, particularly around the mouth, nose, eyes and genitals (Stevens– Johnson syndrome), and a more severe form causing skin peeling in more than 30% of the body surface (toxic epidermal necrolysis);
• rhabdomyolysis (breakdown of muscle tissue) and associated blood creatine phosphokinase increase. Prevalence is significantly higher in Japanese patients when compared to non-Japanese patients.
• limp or difficulty walking;
• combination of fever, muscle stiffness, unstable blood pressure and heart rate, confusion, low level of consciousness (may be signs of a disorder called neuroleptic malignant syndrome).
• Prevalence is significantly higher in Japanese patients when compared to non-Japanese patients.
• Very rare: may affect up to 1 in 10000 people
• repeated unwanted thoughts or sensations or the urge to do something over and over again (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).
• Reporting of side effects If you get any side effects talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the national reporting system listed in Appendix V. By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.

From the package leaflet in EMA’s product information, p. 149–150.

How to store it

• Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.
• Do not use this medicine after the expiry date stated on the carton box and blister after EXP.
• The expiry date refers to the last day of the month.
• This medicine does not require any special storage conditions.
• Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.

From the package leaflet in EMA’s product information, p. 150–151.

Other ingredients

Relevant if you react to a dye, a preservative, lactose or gluten.

• The other ingredients are:
• Tablet core: croscarmellose sodium, macrogol 6000, silica colloidal anhydrous, magnesium stearate.
• Film-coating: Polyvinyl alcohol-part. hydrolyzed, titanium dioxide (E171), macrogol 3350, talc, colourants*.
• * The colourants are:

From the package leaflet in EMA’s product information, p. 151.

Same active substance, strength and form in other countries

Matched on active substance, strength and kind of form only. This is not a statement that the products are equivalent or interchangeable: other ingredients, release and approved uses can differ — ask a pharmacist before swapping.

Medicine passport: one printable page to show a pharmacist abroad

Details

Source: European Medicines Agency — medicine data · 2026-09-30 · not reviewed by a clinician

Source: European Medicines Agency (EMA). Product information as published by EMA. Reuse terms: EMA legal notice (reproduction authorised).

Report wrong or outdated information on this page

Same active substance

These contain the same substance. That does not mean one can replace another — ask a pharmacist.

See every product with Levetiracetam