Lamotrogine in pregnancy

[Jem333]

I am at the moment weaning off epilim to go on to lamotrogine to get pregnant as I have been told that there is alot lesser rick during pregnancy to be on lamotrogine. I am just wondering what you think is a ok level during pregnancy, my neurologist has put ,e on 200mg twice a day??? Is that safe???

Thankyou for your time, much appreciated

[Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD]

Hello.

Lamotrigine does have some effects on the growing fetus, but there are no conclusive reports about it being more harmful for pregnant ladies than for general population.

A study conducted by Marianne Cunnington et al (NEUROLOGY 2005;64:955-960) states that,"........The risk of all major birth defects after first-trimester exposure to lamotrigine monotherapy (2.9%) was similar to that in the general population and in other registries enrolling women exposed to antiepileptic monotherapy (3.3% to 4.5%).".

Please go through this article also, to read about oral clefts resulting from Lamotrigine.

http://www.epilepsy.org.uk/news/lamotriginejun06.html

Here is an extract from the article which is relevant.

"...The study found five cases of oral clefts in infants in a study of 564 pregnancies (that is one in 113 cases) where the mother was taking lamotrigine and no other antiepileptic drugs. This is higher than the worldwide incidence which is one in 700."

Overall, there are reports for and against Lamotrigine in pregnancy. The treatment has to be individualized for each patient.

You will need a regular monitoring of the fetal growth.

Regards

[brainpain]

i dont know about lamotrogine.but i have 3 kids and took 300mg of dilantin during pregnancy.all three of my kids are healthy and just as normal as any other children.i had a very healthy pregnancy and no side effects to any of my kids.doctors followed my case closely. just wanted to share my story we can have healthy babies and be healthy doing it.lots of luck