Levetiracetam is an antiepileptic medicine used to prevent seizures. It works differently from the older epilepsy drugs: instead of acting on sodium channels or on GABA, it binds to a protein on the synaptic vesicles in nerve endings called SV2A, dampening the abnormal bursts of electrical activity that produce a seizure. It does not cure epilepsy — it suppresses seizures for as long as it is taken.
In the NAFDAC register
4 registered products
from 3 registration holders
What it costs online
Price varies — check with a pharmacy. This drug has not yet appeared in our fortnightly sampling of Nigerian online pharmacies.
Brands of Levetiracetam in Nigeria
Those 4 products from 3 registration holders include combination products and older listings; below are the most common brands.
- 250mg · Film coated tablet · A4-7333
| Brand Name | Manufacturer | Strength | Form | NAFDAC Reg. No. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keppra Levetiracetam 500 mg | GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Nigeria PLC (GSK) | 500mg | Tablet | A4-7334 |
| Keppra Levetiracetam 250 mg Tablet | GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Nigeria PLC (GSK) | 250mg | Film coated tablet | A4-7333 |
| Suvitra-500 Tablets | Micro Nova Pharmaceuticals Ind Ltd | 500mg | Tablet | A4-7250 |
| Leveget Tablet 250 mg | Getz Pharma Nigeria Limited | 250mg | Tablet | A4-101478 |
Levetiracetam Price in Nigeria
Levetiracetam prices in Nigeria vary by brand, strength, and where you buy it. Confirm the current price with a licensed pharmacy, and always check the product is NAFDAC-registered before you pay.
We show a price here once it appears in our monthly sampling of Nigerian online pharmacies (MedPlus, HealthPlus), or when we have a reliable market figure. For now, confirm the current price directly with a licensed pharmacy.
How to Verify Your Levetiracetam is Genuine
- 1Check the NAFDAC registration number on the pack — Keppra 500mg carries A4-7334 and Keppra 250mg carries A4-7333 in our copy of the register.
- 2Suvitra-500 (Micro Labs) is registered as A4-7250 and Leveget 250mg (Getz Pharma) as A4-101478.
- 3Confirm any levetiracetam brand's number with our NAFDAC checker before paying — with only three active registrations, a brand you cannot find in the register deserves questions.
- 4Buy from a registered pharmacy. A chronic medicine taken daily for years is exactly the kind of product where a substandard batch does quiet, cumulative harm.
- 5Check the expiry date and batch number, and keep the pack — if seizure control changes after switching brands, your neurologist will want to know exactly which product you took.
Where to Buy
Buying Levetiracetam by the carton
Cartons are bought at Nigeria's four open drug markets. Each guide names the sellers there you can contact, and how to buy safely:
No shop we list has Levetiracetam on its confirmed product list yet — the market guides still tell you where the trade happens and how to buy there safely.
Wherever you buy, buy only from licensed pharmacies and verified distributors — not roadside vendors — and verify the pack's NAFDAC registration before you pay. Buying Levetiracetam in bulk or for resale? See how to buy medicines in bulk in Nigeria safely.
Need Levetiracetam in bulk, or can't find it near you?
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What is Levetiracetam?
In Nigeria it is best known by its original brand name, Keppra, made by UCB in Belgium and registered here through GSK. Our copy of the NAFDAC register shows three active levetiracetam registrations from two companies: Keppra 250mg and 500mg, and Leveget from Getz Pharma, registered in 2025 — a fourth, Suvitra-500 from Micro Labs of India, is currently recorded inactive. That is a thin field for a medicine this widely prescribed, and it is the main reason levetiracetam can be hard to find outside major cities and teaching-hospital pharmacies.
Levetiracetam has become a first-choice antiepileptic in much of the world for two practical reasons. It has remarkably few drug interactions — it is not processed by the liver enzymes that make carbamazepine and phenytoin so difficult to combine with other medicines — and it is not a teratogen on the scale of sodium valproate, which matters enormously for girls and women of childbearing age. Those two properties are why a neurologist will often reach for it even though it costs more.
What is Levetiracetam used for?
In Nigeria, Levetiracetam is commonly used for:
- Focal (partial-onset) seizures, with or without progression to a generalised seizure — its core licensed use
- Generalised tonic-clonic seizures, alone or added to another medicine
- Myoclonic seizures in juvenile myoclonic epilepsy
- Add-on treatment when one antiepileptic alone has not controlled seizures
- As a valproate-sparing option in girls and women who could become pregnant
- Seizure prevention after certain brain injuries or neurosurgery, where a specialist decides it is needed
Dosage
IMPORTANT
Always follow your doctor's or pharmacist's instructions. The information below is for general reference only.
Adults
Treatment is usually started low and increased gradually. A common starting point is 250mg twice daily, raised every two weeks in steps toward 500mg twice daily, with a usual maintenance range of 1000mg to 3000mg per day split into two doses. The dose is set by a doctor against how well seizures are controlled and how the medicine is tolerated. Tablets can be taken with or without food, and should be taken at roughly the same times each day.
Children
Children are dosed by body weight — typically starting around 10mg per kg twice daily and increased in steps under specialist supervision. Levetiracetam is used in children and infants for specific seizure types, but the dose, the formulation and the decision to treat at all belong to a paediatrician or neurologist, not to a pharmacy counter.
Elderly
Levetiracetam is cleared by the kidneys, and kidney function declines with age, so older adults often need a lower dose. Anyone with significant kidney impairment needs the dose adjusted according to their creatinine clearance — this is one of the few dose adjustments that genuinely matters with this drug.
NEVER STOP LEVETIRACETAM SUDDENLY. Abruptly withdrawing any antiepileptic can trigger seizures more severe than the ones being treated, including status epilepticus, which is a medical emergency. If the medicine is to be stopped, it is tapered over weeks under medical supervision. This matters practically in Nigeria, where supply gaps are the usual reason a person stops: if your pharmacy runs out, do not simply wait — tell your doctor immediately so a bridging plan or substitute can be arranged.
Side Effects
Common side effects
- •Drowsiness and fatigue, especially in the first weeks
- •Dizziness and unsteadiness
- •Headache
- •Irritability, agitation or a short temper — the side effect people notice most
- •Loss of appetite, nausea, or diarrhoea
Serious side effects — seek medical help immediately
- Marked mood or behaviour change — depression, aggression, or hostility, sometimes called the 'Keppra rage'
- Suicidal thoughts or behaviour — a recognised risk with antiepileptic medicines generally
- Psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations or paranoia — uncommon
- Severe skin reactions including Stevens-Johnson syndrome and DRESS — rare
- Low white-cell or platelet counts
When to see a doctor
Contact the prescriber promptly about any significant change in mood, behaviour or thinking — new depression, unusual aggression, or thoughts of self-harm. These are dose-related and often resolve when the dose is adjusted, but they should never be endured in silence. Seek urgent care for a spreading or blistering rash, and for any increase in seizure frequency or severity. Do not stop the medicine on your own while waiting for an appointment.
Warnings & Precautions
Do not take Levetiracetam if you have:
- Known hypersensitivity to levetiracetam or other pyrrolidone derivatives
- Use with caution in anyone with a history of depression, psychosis or significant behavioural disturbance
- Significant kidney impairment requires a reduced dose, not avoidance
Drug interactions
- •Alcohol — increases drowsiness and lowers the seizure threshold; best avoided
- •Other sedating medicines, including some antihistamines and opioids — additive drowsiness
- •Unlike carbamazepine and phenytoin, levetiracetam does not induce liver enzymes, so it does NOT reduce the effectiveness of hormonal contraceptives
- •Methotrexate — levetiracetam may reduce its clearance; monitoring is advised
- •Drugs cleared by the kidneys may need review together with levetiracetam in kidney impairment
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
Levetiracetam is one of the antiepileptics most often chosen for women who are pregnant or could become pregnant, because the available data suggest a much lower risk of birth defects than sodium valproate carries. That is a comparison, not a guarantee, and no antiepileptic is entirely risk-free. Uncontrolled seizures are themselves dangerous to a pregnancy, so the answer is almost never to stop the medicine — it is to plan. Any woman of childbearing age on an antiepileptic should discuss folic acid supplementation and pregnancy planning with her doctor before conceiving. Levetiracetam passes into breast milk; breastfeeding is usually still possible with the infant monitored for excessive sleepiness.
Related Resources for Levetiracetam
Guides, articles, and tools related to Levetiracetam and other epilepsy medicines in Nigeria.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources
- •NAFDAC Greenbook — the official database of all products registered with Nigeria's National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control. Brand-level NAFDAC numbers for Levetiracetam on this page were cross-referenced against the Greenbook.
- •WHO Model List of Essential Medicines — Levetiracetam is included in the WHO's list of essential medicines, meaning it is considered essential for basic healthcare needs.
- •British National Formulary (BNF) dosing and interaction guidance for Levetiracetam.
- •Nigerian Standard Treatment Guidelines (Federal Ministry of Health).
Daily puzzle: Meddle — pair five brands with their medicines. New game at midnight.