Epilepsy complicates a woman’s reproductive life. However, improved diagnosis and treatment of this disease, as well as better social adaptation, have enabled most women with epilepsy to marry and have children. The collaboration between the neurologist and the obstetrician is important in order to optimize the management of women suffering from epilepsy who wish to […]
Taking antidepressants during pregnancy has been a concern for many expectant mothers. A growing body of research points to evidence that it’s not the antidepressants that will harm newborns. It’s when mothers neglect treatment for depression that can put their babies at risk for seizures and epilepsy. Kelsey Wiggs, Ph.D. candidate at IU Bloomington and […]
Antiseizure medication monitoring should begin early, researchers say Blood levels of commonly prescribed antiseizure medications (ASMs) dropped during pregnancy, prospective data from the MONEAD cohort showed. Women experienced significant decreases in dose-normalized concentrations during pregnancy with most ASMs — including declines of up to 56% for lamotrigine (Lamictal) and 37% for levetiracetam (Keppra) — compared with postpartum […]
New figures show that the number of women prescribed sodium valproate in a month fell by over 7,000 between April 2018 and September 2021. This is according to findings published by NHS Digital in March 2022. Valproate (brand name Epilim) is a medicine used to treat epilepsy. In some cases it may be the only medicine that is […]
Antiseizure medications (ASMs) can be detected in breast milk of women with epilepsy and plasma/serum of infants who have consumed breast milk, according to study findings published in Seizure: Journal of Epilepsy. Global health organizations recommend exclusively breastfeeding infants for at least 6 months. Deciding whether to discontinue ASMs is a serious concern for half of […]
Topiramate, introduced as an antiepileptic drug (AED), is currently most widely used for prevention of migraine headaches. Because reproductive-aged women represent a population in which migraines are prevalent, clinicians need guidance to help women taking topiramate make sound contraceptive choices. Several issues are relevant here. First, women who have migraines with aura should avoid estrogen-containing contraceptive pills, patches, and rings. Instead, […]
