Objectives: To evaluate the usefulness of levetiracetam (LEV) for the treatment of tics in patients with Tourette syndrome (TS) by means of a prospective, open-label, 12-week study.
Material and methods: Twenty-nine patients with TS who received LEV to control their tics were admitted to the study. The authors recorded the following variables: initial status (Yale Global Tic Severity Scale - YGTSS - and the scale of Modified Clinical Global Impression -MCGI), the clinical status at 3 months using the same scales, and clinical/medical impression of improvement.
Results: The mean age of the patients studied was 12 years; 25 males (86%) and 4 females (14%). Participants received 800-2000 mg/day of LEV. Of the 29 patients, 21 children (72%) improved according to YGTSS and MCGI scores. Mean YGTSS Total Tic Score at baseline and after treatment with LEV were 67 and 44, respectively. The statistical analysis confirmed a significant improvement with a p-value of <0.001 on the YGTSS and MCGI. In 3 cases, treatment was suspended due to adverse effects.
Conclusions: Treatment with LEV can constitute a treatment option for tics in patients with TS. Double-blind trials of longer duration are needed in larger samples in order to establish both the benefit, as well as what patients are eligible for treatment.