A moderate to severe persistent headache for 4-72 hours leads to a migraine. As the onset of migraine may be associated with cortical hyperexcitability, hence, antiepileptic drugs may be effective for the same. As examined from this study, the use of levetiracetam was beneficial in migraineurs given the unfavourable effects or teratogenicity of other preventive therapies.

This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the effectiveness of levetiracetam in migraine prophylaxis.

Some renowned databases- PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane were explored for articles concerning relevant migraine prophylaxis and levetiracetam treatment. There were 3 main study outcomes: patients with >50% headache frequency decrease, headache frequency, and headache severity.

All in all, four randomized controlled trial (RCTs) comprising of 192 patients and four prospective studies comprising of 85 patients were recognized. Significant differences were found between levetiracetam and the placebo groups and outcomes under consideration (Table 1):

Levetiracetam can considerably decrease headache frequency and severity. Thus, levetiracetam in oral formulation can be an effective treatment for migraine prophylaxis.