*Welcome to the OutUK series looking at gay men and their health brought to you in association with the NHS* website.**
	Each week we'll tackle a different topic in our A to Z of Gay Health. We'll have features and advice on everything from relationships, sexual health, mental and physical conditions and how to stay fit. You can follow any of links provided below for more information direct from the NHS website, or see this week's feature L: Laxatives.

About Levetiracetam

NHS medicines information on levetiracetam - what it's used for and key facts.

Levetiracetam is a medicine used to treat epilepsy.

Seizures are bursts of electrical activity in the brain that temporarily affect how it works. Levetiracetam slows these electrical signals down to stop seizures.

Levetiracetam is available on prescription. It comes as tablets, a liquid and granules.

Key facts

You'll usually start taking levetiracetam once a day and increase to twice a day.
The most common side effects of levetiracetam are headaches, feeling sleepy and a blocked nose or itchy throat.
Levetiracetam can make you feel sleepy, tired or dizzy when you start taking it or increase your dose. It can also affect your vision. If this happens to you, do not drive, ride a bike or operate machinery until this goes away.
It can take a few weeks for levetiracetam to work. You may still have seizures during this time.
If you have epilepsy, you're entitled to free prescriptions for all of your medicines, not just your epilepsy ones. You'll need a medical exemption certificate to claim your free prescriptions.

OutUK's A to Z of Gay Health continues and you can read this week's feature L: Laxatives. We have covered many subjects in this series and you can catch up with all of our Previous A to Z Features. If you want to find out more about this particular topic you can visit the Original article on the NHS website. If you are worried by any aspect of your health make sure you go and see your doctor or book an appointment at your local clinic.
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