question: Hi doctor, I am a-28-year old female diagnosed with SLE six years ago. I was on medication for four years and I stopped the medication when there had been no flare-ups or any syndrome for a while. Three months back, I had a flare up for the first time in three years. The symptoms were low fever, joint pain, and headaches. One night I had a seizure due to the flare up and low blood pressure. The doctor put me back on all the medications plus Keppra. My first question is how long should I keep taking Keppra? When I checked with my neurologist, he said it is supposed to be a lifelong treatment even though the seizure only happened once. All other doctors said it was associated with the lupus flare. I know Keppra can cause side effects so I am wondering if it is really necessary to take this drug for life when I had the seizure only once and it was due to lupus. If the dosage can be reduced (or eventually eliminated), at what pace should I do that? I am currently taking 500 mg twice a day.