I bore a healthy child while taking Carbatrol. The ob/gyn was careful and did a detailed ultrasound that included a particularly close look at my son's spine, since one of the major know side effects of taking the drug during pregnancy is spina bifida. My son was normal.
I'd be concerned about taking one of the newer meds, like Keppra, simply because there's not enough experience with it and pregnancy to draw any conclusions about it. The scientists might say that there is, but really... maybe I'm just jaded because I had to be taken off of Felbatol, which at the time was deemed to have no side effects whatsoever, because it was causing fatal liver failures in some patients, but that's how I feel. Taking an older drug means that the docs know what to expect and how to handle it.
Increased blood volume means that you might have to adjust your dosage to maintain levels. I myself had a gran mal during my pregnancy for this exact reason. No harm done though - I was asleep and uninjured, and my son suffered no consequences at all from it.
If I were in your place, I'd speak with my doc about switching to an older drug, one deemed safe for use during gestation and breast feeding, and get my ob/gyn to consult with my neurologist to work together for the health of me and the baby. That's what worked for me. :)
- Andrea
--- In epilepsy@yahoogroups.com, "katebruer" <kbenda83@...> wrote:
>
> Hi- I am looking for advice on whether getting pregnant will effect my epilepsy or medication
>
> My doctor says its ok to get pregnant on Keppra, but then they tell you that you can't eat cold cuts. If I am supposed to be avoiding all these other things, is it really safe to get pregnant on AEDs?
> Do any of you have experience with this? Do you have to increase your dosage as you gain weight? Does it effect the child? I feel that some effects wouldn't be identified until the child was school aged- like learning disabilities, and many until they try to have children of their own.
> Also, I feel like my seizures are infrequent, less than 1x per year when not medicated, that I don't feel that I need to be medicated. I can avoid what triggers seizures for me for the most part and I can always feel them several minutes before they come.
> My doctor says that my seizures would increase with pregnancy- has anyone else found that to be true? Did your epilepsy or medications interfere at all with pregnancy?
> Thanks!
> Kate
>
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