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Intravenous Dilution Guidelines

Levetiracetam (Keppra ®)

The authors make no claims of the accuracy of the information contained herein; and these suggested doses and/or guidelines are not a substitute for clinical judgment. Neither GlobalRPh Inc. nor any other party involved in the preparation of this document shall be liable for any special, consequential, or exemplary damages resulting in whole or part from any user's use of or reliance upon this material.    PLEASE READ THE DISCLAIMER CAREFULLY BEFORE ACCESSING OR USING THIS SITE. BY ACCESSING OR USING THIS SITE, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET FORTH IN THE DISCLAIMER.

Usual Diluents

NS, D5W, or LR

Standard Dilutions   [Amount of drug] [Infusion volume] [Infusion rate]

[Prescribed dose] [100ml] [ 15 minutes]

Examples:
[500 mg] [100ml] [15 minutes]
[1000 mg ] [100ml] [15 minutes]
[1500 mg ] [100ml] [15 minutes]

(Product with particulate matter or discoloration should not be used.)

Stability / Miscellaneous

Indications: KEPPRA injection is indicated as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of partial onset seizures in ADULTS with epilepsy. KEPPRA injection is an alternative for patients when oral administration is temporarily not feasible.
(Safety and effectiveness of KEPPRA injection in patients below the age of 16 years have not been established.)

Dosage: KEPPRA injection is for intravenous use only and must be diluted prior to administration. Treatment should be initiated with a daily dose of 1000 mg/day, given as twice-daily dosing (500 mg BID). Additional dosing increments may be given (1000 mg/day additional every 2 weeks) to a maximum recommended daily dose of 3000 mg. Doses greater than 3000 mg/day have been used in open label studies with KEPPRA tablets for periods of 6 months and longer. There is no evidence that doses greater than 3000 mg/day confer additional benefit.

Note: dosage adjustments are necessary in patients with impaired renal function.
Impaired Renal Function
First estimate the patient's creatinine clearance (ml/min):
Cockcroft and Gault equation:
Creatinine clearance for males = [140-age (years)]× [body wt (kg)]
72 × [serum creatinine (mg/dL)]
Creatinine clearance for females = [140-age (years)]× [body wt (kg)]× 0.85
72 × [serum creatinine (mg/dL)]

CRCL  (ml/min) Dosage Frequency
> 80 ml/min 500-1500 mg q12h
50 - 80 500-1000 mg q12h
30 - 50 250-750 mg q12h
<30 250-550 mg q12h
ESRD patients on dialysis 500-1000 mg q24h*
*Following dialysis, a 250 to 500mg supplemental dose is recommended

Replacement Therapy: When switching from oral KEPPRA, the initial total daily intravenous dosage of KEPPRA should be equivalent to the total daily dosage and frequency of oral KEPPRA . Any unused portion of the KEPPRA injection vial contents should be discarded.


Stability / Miscellaneous
Dilution:
Dilute prescribed dose in 100 ml of a compatible diluent and infuse over 15 minutes.

Compatible Diluents:
• Sodium chloride (0.9%) injection, USP
• Lactated Ringer’s injection
• Dextrose 5% injection, USP

Supplied:
Single use vial: 500mg / 5mL (100 mg/mL).

Storage:
KEPPRA injection was found to be physically compatible and chemically stable when mixed with the following diluents (NS, D5W, or LR) for at least 24 hours and stored in (PVC) bags at controlled room temperature 15-30°C (59-86°F).

Source: [package insert]
Disclaimer
The authors make no claims of the accuracy of the information contained herein; and these suggested doses are not a substitute for clinical judgment. Neither GlobalRPh Inc. nor any other party involved in the preparation of this program shall be liable for any special, consequential, or exemplary damages resulting in whole or part from any user's use of or reliance upon this material.  PLEASE READ THE DISCLAIMER CAREFULLY BEFORE ACCESSING OR USING THIS SITE. BY ACCESSING OR USING THIS SITE, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET FORTH IN THE DISCLAIMER.
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