Can Pyridoxine Successfully Reduce Behavioral Side Effects from Levetiracetam?: A Critically Appraised Topic.

Background: Levetiracetam is a commonly used anti-seizure medication, with the development of neuropsychiatric symptoms being the most common side effect. Preliminary literature describes the improvement of these symptoms with pyridoxine, mostly within the pediatric population. However, randomized control trial data investigating this relationship is sparse.

Objective: The objective of this study was to critically assess evidence regarding the role of pyridoxine in the treatment of neuropsychiatric symptoms from levetiracetam.

Methods: The objective was addressed through the development of a structured, critically appraised topic. This included a clinical scenario with a clinical question, literature search strategy, critical appraisal, results, evidence summary, commentary, and bottom-line conclusions. Participants included consultant and resident neurologists, medical librarians, clinical epidemiologists, and content experts in the field of epilepsy.

Results: A randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial was selected for critical appraisal. This trial compared pyridoxine versus placebo for the treatment of neuropsychiatric symptoms from levetiracetam in a pediatric population and included 105 patients (46/105 received pyridoxine, 59/105 received placebo). It found that both groups had a significant reduction in behavioral symptoms at the 2-,4-and 6-week time points ( P <0.05). However, the authors noted that the pyridoxine group had almost double the relative reduction when compared with the placebo group at all time points: 1.9 at 2 weeks, 2.0 at 4 weeks, and 1.8 at 6 weeks ( P =0.001).

Conclusions: This study suggests that pyridoxine for the treatment of levetiracetam-induced behavioral side effects may result in modest improvement, although many limitations prevent conclusive results. There remains a need for a double-blinded, randomized control trial in both the adult and pediatric populations.