Pregnant women and new mothers who have epilepsy may want to read an article that appeared in American Family Physician in July 2001, titled "Medications in the Breast-Feeding Mother." The authors of this article list Dilantin and Tegretol as the "recommended" seizure medicines. Zarontin and Depakote are named as possible alternatives. They warn against phenobarbital and Mysoline because they are likely to make the baby too drowsy.

This article also offers a couple of tips on how to minimize the amount of medication that reaches the baby:

• If you take your seizure medicine just once a day, try to take it at the beginning of the baby's longest sleep interval, usually right after the bedtime feeding.
• If you need to take your seizure medicine more than once a day, breast-feed the baby immediately before you take a dose. That's when the level is likely to be lowest.

Topic Editor: Steven C. Schachter, M.D.
Last Reviewed: 10/23/03