Can torleva 750 be substituted by torleva xr 750? What is the difference between the medicines?
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Hi, the suffix xr, er, sr, od and cr all refer to drug formulations which help to pronlog the duration of action of the drug. These letters stand for extended release, sustained release, once daily and controlled release formulations. This is achieved by slowing down the release of the drug and its absorption from the intestine by various techniques. As far as treating epilepsy is concerned there are some advantages of using this kind of medications where the number of dosages per day can be reduced to almost once a day. This improves the compliance and reduces some of the side effects of the medications. Also the drug concentration in blood tends to remain more or less steady when compared to plain tablets which tend to cause peak and trough levels and fluctuations. Typically, most antiepileptic drugs have a standard or immediate release formulation and some have an once daily dose formulation. Except for carbamazepine controlled release tablets and sodium valporate chrono tablets which need to be used twice a day, most of the other extended release or xr, er, od tablets can be used once a day. These tablets should not be cut or powdered. Levetiracetam standard tablet or plain tablet needs to be taken twice daily. Levetiracetam xr (torleva xr) is for enabling administration of the medicine only once a day and to avoid fluctuations in the drug level in the body.
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