Key takeaways:
Keppra (levetiracetam) is a brand-name prescription medication used to treat different types of seizures. It’s also widely available as a lower-cost generic. Most people take it twice daily.
Without insurance, 60 tablets of brand-name Keppra 500 mg may cost around $810.52. The exact cost varies based on factors such as your location, pharmacy, and medication dosage.
There are many ways to save on your medication, including using a GoodRx coupon and comparing prices at different pharmacies. You can also save by switching to the generic version.
Save on related medications
Keppra (levetiracetam) is a prescription medication used to treat seizures. It’s available as both a brand-name drug and a lower-cost generic. It’s FDA approved to treat several types of seizures, such as partial onset, myoclonic, and primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures.
Keppra comes in several forms. These include immediate-release (IR) tablets, extended-release (ER) tablets, a liquid solution, and an injectable form that’s usually given in a hospital. The liquid and IR tablets are typically taken twice a day, while the ER tablets are taken once daily. Your dosage will depend on factors such as your age, body weight, and the type of seizures you have.
If you’ve been prescribed Keppra, cost may be a considerable factor in your treatment plan. Prices can vary based on the form you take, your dosage, and whether you use the brand-name or generic version. Here, we’ll look at how much Keppra costs and share ways you may be able to save on your prescription.
How much does Keppra cost?
Without insurance, a 30-day supply of brand-name Keppra — often sixty 500 mg tablets — costs around $810.52. An equivalent amount of the generic averages around $46.73. But the price you pay will depend on factors such as the pharmacy, dosage, and form (tablets or liquid), as well as your location and insurance.
Factors that can affect the price of Keppra include:
Location: Cost of living, demand for medications, and competition among pharmacies can influence the cost of medications. For instance, GoodRx research shows that Little Rock, Arkansas, is the costliest city for prescription medications, while Denver is the most affordable.
Pharmacy: Pricing policies, negotiated discounts, and membership perks influence the cost of medications.
Dosage: Your prescribed dose and form of Keppra can affect the price. For instance, 60 tablets of brand-name Keppra 500 mg costs around $810.52, while 210 mL of the oral liquid (100 mg/mL) is priced at about $472.91. If you get 60 tablets of Keppra XR 500 mg, it could cost around $732.77.
Insurance: Even if your insurance covers Keppra, you might have out-of-pocket expenses, such as copays or coinsurance. These costs can vary based on your health plan’s formulary (list of covered medications).
Brand vs. generic: Keppra and Keppra XR also are available in lower-cost generic forms — levetiracetam and levetiracetam ER, respectively.
Does insurance cover Keppra?
Whether insurance covers Keppra depends on your plan. For example, Medicare typically doesn’t cover brand-name Keppra. But Medicare and most other health insurance plans do cover the generic version of the medication, levetiracetam.
Before you try to fill a Keppra prescription, take these steps to help ensure coverage:
Review your health insurance plan documents. Check your summary of benefits and coverage, as well as the formulary, to see if Keppra is covered and if there are specific requirements or coverage exceptions.
Talk to your neurology team. Your coverage may depend on the specific condition being treated and whether the generic levetiracetam is an option.
Find out if you need prior authorization or step therapy. Your insurer may require prior authorization for Keppra or step therapy, where you must try a preferred lower-cost or generic medication first.
Check your insurance policy for details, or contact your insurance provider to understand your coverage.
How different insurance plans cover Keppra
The charts below can help you determine the likelihood of your insurance covering brand-name Keppra and generic levetiracetam. It can also give you an idea of whether you’ll face prior authorization or step therapy requirements.
Insurance type | Enrollees covered for brand-name Keppra 500 mg tablets | Enrollees required to get prior authorization | Enrollees required to do step therapy |
|---|---|---|---|
26.1% | 14.1% | 0.4% | |
Commercial plans (excluding ACA plans) | 53% | 15.6% | 7.8% |
Medicare (Medicare Advantage and Part D plans) | 6.2% | 1% | 0% |
Medicaid, including state-run and managed care plans | 99.5% | 60.7% | 6.8% |
Insurance type | Enrollees covered for brand-name Keppra XR 500 mg tablets | Enrollees required to get prior authorization | Enrollees required to do step therapy |
|---|---|---|---|
ACA plans | 26% | 14.1% | 0% |
Commercial plans (excluding ACA plans) | 52.9% | 18.6% | 7.8% |
Medicare (Medicare Advantage and Part D plans) | 6.2% | 1% | 0% |
Medicaid, including state-run and managed care plans | 99.5% | 56.9% | 7.6% |
Insurance type | Enrollees covered for generic levetiracetam 500 mg tablets | Enrollees required to get prior authorization | Enrollees required to do step therapy |
|---|---|---|---|
ACA plans | 99.8% | 0.9% | 0.3% |
Commercial plans (excluding ACA plans) | 99.1% | 0.8% | 0% |
Medicare (Medicare Advantage and Part D plans) | 100% | 0% | 4.6% |
Medicaid, including state-run and managed care plans | 99.9% | 8.2% | 0% |
Source: Managed Markets Insight & Technology, LLC™, as of January 10, 2026 (See methodology below.)
If Keppra isn’t included in your plan’s formulary, take one or more of these steps to seek coverage:
If you have a prescription for the brand-name product, see if the generic would be a suitable alternative for you.
Have your neurologist submit a letter of medical necessity to your insurance provider that explains why Keppra is essential for your treatment.
Request a formulary exception from your insurance provider.
If your request is denied, submit an appeal to your insurer.
Ways to save on Keppra
Want to pay less for your prescription? Here are four ways to save money on Keppra.
1. Use a GoodRx coupon
With a GoodRx coupon, you may be able to pay a lower price for the generic version of Keppra and Keppra XR. For example, for a 30-day supply, you could pay as little as $9.00 for IR tablets, $11.70 for oral solution, or $15.60 for ER tablets with a free GoodRx discount.
Here’s how to get a coupon:
Visit the GoodRx website or install the GoodRx app on your mobile device.
Type “Keppra” in the search field. Select “Keppra (brand name)” or “Keppra (generic)” from the drop-down menu. Hit return, or click on “Find the lowest prices.”
Choose the correct dosage, quantity, location, and pharmacy.
Have your discount information sent to you via text or email, or print it. If you’re using the app, keep the discount ready on your phone’s screen, or save it to your digital wallet.
Show the coupon at the pharmacy when you pick up your Keppra prescription. However, showing the coupon to your pharmacy staff earlier on in the filling process, such as when they first receive your prescription, will help prevent delays at the pickup counter.
2. Request a 90-day supply
Keppra is a maintenance medication that most people take chronically. After you find the dose of the medication that works well for you, ask your neurologist to write you a prescription for a 90-day (3-month) supply of Keppra instead of a 30-day supply. This may lower your overall costs and reduce your trips to the pharmacy.
If your insurance covers Keppra, you can also ask about discounts for using your plan’s preferred mail-order pharmacy.
3. Make the most of your HSA or FSA funds
Some insurance plans come with a health savings account (HSA) or flexible spending account (FSA). These accounts let you set aside pretax money to pay for healthcare costs, including prescription medications.
HSAs usually let you roll over any unused money from year to year. That means you won’t lose the funds if you don’t spend them within a specified time. FSAs are different. In many cases, you have to use the money in your account by the end of the plan year or you’ll lose it. Some plans offer a short grace period or allow you to roll over a small amount of your funds.
Some employers also offer a health reimbursement arrangement (HRA). This is money your employer sets aside to help you cover medical expenses that aren’t paid for by your insurance. Rollover rules vary, so check with your employer to see what’s allowed and whether you can use these funds to pay for Keppra.
4. Try a lower-cost alternative
Ask your neurologist about generic Keppra or lower-cost, but equally effective, medications in the same class. Many anti-seizure medications are available.
Treating seizures is a very personalized experience, though, so your neurologist can tell you more about what would and wouldn’t be appropriate to try.
The bottom line
A 30-day supply of brand-name Keppra (levetiracetam) tablets — for example, sixty 500 mg tablets taken twice a day — costs about $810.52 without insurance. But the exact amount you’ll pay depends on where you live, your choice of pharmacy, and your prescribed dosage. You may be able to reduce your cost by using a GoodRx coupon, asking for a 90-day supply, or receiving a prescription for a lower-cost medication.
Why trust our experts?
Methodology
We obtained national prescription coverage data for each medication from Managed Markets Insight & Technology (MMIT). The data reflects health insurance coverage as of January 2026.
We calculated the percentage of enrollees in plans that cover each medication by dividing the number of enrollees covered for the medication within a specific insurance channel (e.g., ACA, Medicare, Medicaid) by the total number of enrollees in all plans within that channel.
We determined the percentage of enrollees in plans with a prior authorization requirement by calculating the proportion of enrollees in plans that required prior authorization for the medication within each channel.
Finally, we measured the percentage of enrollees in plans with a step therapy requirement by calculating the proportion of enrollees in plans that imposed step therapy requirements for the medication in each channel.
These estimates, derived from national MMIT coverage data, provide insight into health insurance coverage for each medication. They take into account restrictions such as prior authorization, step therapy, and quantity limits. The percentages are expressed relative to the total number of enrollees covered by various insurance channels, including ACA plans, commercial (excluding ACA) plans, Medicare, and Medicaid (both state-run and managed care plans).
References
Medicaid.gov. (n.d.). Managed care.
UCB. (2026). Keppra- levetiracetam tablet, film coated [package insert]. DailyMed.
