Fact: You can. In fact, neurologists usually recommend continuing epilepsy medications throughout pregnancy. However, it comes down to the type of medication. You may need to adjust your dosage or switch to a new drug, but you probably won’t need to stop medication altogether.
Is it safe to take seizure medication while pregnant?
Medication you take during pregnancy can affect your baby. Birth defects — including cleft palate, neural tube defects, skeletal abnormalities, and congenital heart and urinary tract defects — are a few potential side effects associated with anti-seizure medications.
Can seizure medication cause miscarriage?
Overall the data is reassuring. This large, registry based study suggests that women treated for epilepsy with antiepileptic drugs during pregnancy may not be at increased risk of spontaneous abortion.
What epilepsy medications are not safe during pregnancy?
Valproate (sodium valproate, brand name Epilim)
Medicines containing valproate (sodium valproate and valproic acid) can seriously harm the unborn baby if taken during pregnancy. If 100 women take valproate medicines during their pregnancy, about 10 of the babies will be born with physical birth defects.
Is it safe to take Keppra while pregnant?
Recent studies carried out by the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM), looking at the risks associated with commonly prescribed AEDs shows that lamotrigine (Lamictal) and levetiracetam (Keppra) are safer to use during pregnancy than other AEDs, having low rates of physical birth abnormalities, in line with the …
Can your baby have seizures in the womb?
Can babies have seizures in the womb? It is thought that foetal seizures, or seizures in the womb, are very rare. They can have many causes and may also be associated with a poor outcome. It is reasonable to assume that a baby who has seizures in the womb will have neurological complications after birth.
Can pregnancy trigger seizures?
Pregnancy does not cause epilepsy. But a pregnant woman who has epilepsy may have seizures more often. This may be because medicines to treat epilepsy can work differently during pregnancy. They may not be absorbed as well.
What happens if a pregnant woman has a seizure?
Once you become pregnant, it will be even more important to control your seizures. Having seizures during pregnancy can affect the health of your baby. You might fall, or the baby may be deprived of oxygen during the seizure, which can injure the baby and increase your risk of miscarriage or stillbirth.
What does it feel like if baby has seizure in the womb?
They felt like small flutters, very rhytmic and frequent (not like when the baby would kick me) and they would go away and come back almost each day.
Is an EKG safe while pregnant?
The ECG is a very safe test and there are no issues with ECGs and pregnancy. The ECG does not involve any radiation or any chemicals into the woman’s body.
How can I control my epilepsy during pregnancy?
Women with epilepsy (WWE) are advised to continue antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) during pregnancy to reduce maternal and fetal trauma associated with seizures. The goal is optimal seizure control with minimum fetal exposure to AEDs.
How do you manage epilepsy during pregnancy?
In order to prevent convulsions during labour, proper seizure control should be achieved during the third trimester. Benzodiazepines or phenytoin are found to be effective for seizure cessation during labour and delivery. Phytomenadione should be administered immediately after birth to the newborn.
Can babies withdrawal from Keppra?
Withdrawal symptoms at birth (neonatal withdrawal)
Levetiracetam works in a similar way to other medicines that are known to cause neonatal withdrawal and close monitoring of your baby for a few days after birth may therefore be advised if you have taken levetiracetam regularly in the weeks before delivery.