Question

Levetiracetam (Keppra) is a medication often used to treat seizures in various settings. It has minimal drug-drug interactions compared to phenytoin and is often the preferred antiepileptic medication.

(Option 1) Chemotherapy and radiation therapy would kill tumor cells and reduce tumor size.

(Option 3) Hospitalized clients and clients with malignancy are at higher risk for venous thromboembolism. These clients would benefit from anticoagulation (eg, heparin, enoxaparin, rivaroxaban, apixaban).

(Option 4) Dexamethasone, a corticosteroid, is used to treat cerebral edema associated with a brain injury/tumor by decreasing inflammation.

Educational objective:
Levetiracetam (Keppra) is a medication often used to treat seizures in various settings. Corticosteroids are used to reduce inflammation and cerebral edema in clients with brain injury and tumors.

Answer 1

Levetiracetam (Keppra) is a preferred anticonvulsant medication for managing seizures due to minimal drug-drug interactions. Up to three percent of people in the U.S. may be diagnosed with epilepsy, which can be effectively controlled with anticonvulsant medications. The proper use of these medications is essential for improving prognosis and preventing further brain damage in seizure-related disorders.

Step-by-step explanation:

Levetiracetam, also known by its brand name Keppra, is a widely used anticonvulsant medication to manage and treat seizures in various clinical settings. With minimal drug-drug interactions, especially when compared to other antiepileptics such as phenytoin, it often becomes the preferred choice for clinicians. Anticonvulsants, such as diazepam, play a critical role in managing seizures, which, if not properly controlled, could lead to further brain damage. Up to three percent of individuals in the United States may be diagnosed with epilepsy during their lifetime, a condition marked by recurrent seizures that can result from brain injury, disease, genetic, and environmental factors.

For certain medical conditions like neurocysticercosis, antihelminthic chemotherapy with drugs such as albendazole and praziquantel is used, and accompanying inflammation from treatment can be mitigated by corticosteroids like dexamethasone that cross the blood-brain barrier. Other pharmacological treatments for various conditions include triazole drugs for systemic yeast infections and psychoactive drugs for psychiatric disorders. The complexity of epilepsy treatment and the variety of other medical conditions underscore the importance of understanding the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of drugs like Keppra and their role in managing disease.