MONDAY, Dec. 15, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- The anti-epileptic drug levetiracetam helps control phasic spasticity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), says a study in the December issue of the Archives of Neurology.
Phasic spasticity is marked by spasms and painful muscle cramps. Drugs currently used to treat it may cause memory problems, weakness and lethargy in some patients.
This study examined 11 people treated with levetiracetam for MS-related spasticity. The patients were treated with the drug for one to four months, with dosages starting at 250 milligrams per day and increasing to 3,000 milligrams per day.
The drug decreased phasic spasticity in all the patients, including those taking the drug alone as well in those who took the drug in combination with other therapies for spasticity. There was no improvement in the patients' tonic spasticity, which produces stiffness.
"It's amazing how many MS patients can't walk, can't move, and you treat their spasticity and they're fine," study author Dr. Kathleen Hawker, an assistant professor of neurology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, says in a prepared statement.
"What's nice about these drugs is that they also work for nerve pain, which in turn improves the patient's mood, so we can use one drug for three things instead of prescribing painkillers and antidepressants in addition to the spasticity therapies," Hawker says.
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