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Lamictal and pregnancy

Mon, 02/07/2005 - 20:43

Hi everybody

I have juvenile myoclonic epilepsy. I am currently 32 weeks pregnant and take 300mg of lamictal daily and have remained seizure free and well so far. 

I am concerned about the long term side effects of lamictal on my baby if I breast feed. I have recently read a paper "Concerns regarding lamotrigine and breast feeding" by Liporace et al which makes me concerned about the babys ability to metabolise the drug. I now think that I do not wish to breast feed my baby, but I am wondering if my baby goes through withdrawel from lamictal in the early stages of life will he suffer long term side effects from this. I know that breast feeding and especially colostrum has long term benefits but i am cautious due to the lack of information about what process the baby will use to metabolise it and how the build up of the drug in his system might affect his growth and development.

Has anyone else information or experience of bottle feeding or breast feeding a baby after taking lamictal through the pregnancy.

Would be gretaful for any input on how they are and if you think they went through withdrawal or any other side effects.

Thanks

Bugsbunny

Comments

RE: Lamictal and pregnancy

Submitted by monalisa on Fri, 2004-10-01 - 05:25

Hi Bugsbunny.

Congratulations on your pregnancy from me,I hope that all goes smoothly for you.

I cannot find the article that you cite, though I am willing to try, and then pass that article on. I suggest that you do a search as well upon this site, especially past posts regarding both JME and the topic of pregnancy as I did. I read those replies with interest, and wondered why there no more replies in this thread than there are now, as this in an emotive issue for women who have epilepsy (or one of the officially named classed definitions of epilepsy.)understanding the effects of AED's on mother and child is certainly an area that does worry any women of childbearing age, and research in this field is still ongoing, and divided in opinion as to the effects the newer drugs will have on mother and child.

Standard thinking-known for a number of years does agree there is a risk, again quoted differently according to whose field your report author is sat in (for want of a better phrase) or even which country you are in.I welcome this five year study, and whislt I realise that is a long time to wait,I am hopeful that length of time will produce reliable and useful information that is -or will be of an acceptable standard to be of benefit in the future.


'While our numbers are still preliminary, we are learning that some of the newer AEDs, like lamotrigine, cause less harm to the child, while it looks like others cause more damage," says Dr. Pennell, who is leading the NEAD study at Emory University. " We will have to wait until the study is complete, however, to know exactly which medications are best for fetal development."

http://www.innovations-report.de/html/berichte/medizin_gesundheit/bericht-28585.html 
 
 

 

Hi Bugsbunny.

Congratulations on your pregnancy from me,I hope that all goes smoothly for you.

I cannot find the article that you cite, though I am willing to try, and then pass that article on. I suggest that you do a search as well upon this site, especially past posts regarding both JME and the topic of pregnancy as I did. I read those replies with interest, and wondered why there no more replies in this thread than there are now, as this in an emotive issue for women who have epilepsy (or one of the officially named classed definitions of epilepsy.)understanding the effects of AED's on mother and child is certainly an area that does worry any women of childbearing age, and research in this field is still ongoing, and divided in opinion as to the effects the newer drugs will have on mother and child.

Standard thinking-known for a number of years does agree there is a risk, again quoted differently according to whose field your report author is sat in (for want of a better phrase) or even which country you are in.I welcome this five year study, and whislt I realise that is a long time to wait,I am hopeful that length of time will produce reliable and useful information that is -or will be of an acceptable standard to be of benefit in the future.


'While our numbers are still preliminary, we are learning that some of the newer AEDs, like lamotrigine, cause less harm to the child, while it looks like others cause more damage," says Dr. Pennell, who is leading the NEAD study at Emory University. " We will have to wait until the study is complete, however, to know exactly which medications are best for fetal development."

http://www.innovations-report.de/html/berichte/medizin_gesundheit/bericht-28585.html 
 
 

 

RE: RE: Lamictal and pregnancy

Submitted by gentlewings on Sat, 2004-10-02 - 12:59

I read the post of yours with interest.Thank you for the link.I also did a search and wondered the same thing as well.JME has been discussed before in this forum I noticed,also pregnancy has as well.Perhaps the posters are now participating in Yahoo groups.

 

 

I read the post of yours with interest.Thank you for the link.I also did a search and wondered the same thing as well.JME has been discussed before in this forum I noticed,also pregnancy has as well.Perhaps the posters are now participating in Yahoo groups.

 

 

RE: RE: RE: Lamictal and pregnancy

Submitted by nunny1 on Sat, 2004-10-09 - 17:14

hi!

i'm new here. i'm fresh married and would like to get pregnent. my neurologist adviced to change my drugs from depalept to tegratol. i have done some reading on the net and it seams to me that lamictal is safer. i would love to read any opinion on this issue. thanks in advance. nunny

hi!

i'm new here. i'm fresh married and would like to get pregnent. my neurologist adviced to change my drugs from depalept to tegratol. i have done some reading on the net and it seams to me that lamictal is safer. i would love to read any opinion on this issue. thanks in advance. nunny

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