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is it okay to become pregnant while on anti-epeltic meds?
Fri, 10/20/2006 - 19:24Topic: Women With Epilepsy
Hi. I am 23 and was diag @ 3yrs ago with tonic clonis seizures. (but i have also had the petit mal seizures too.) i JUST now made 7 months no seizures. I have heard so many different things about how it's not safe to be pregnant if you have seizures...and how you it's not safe to take ANY medication while being pregnant. expecially anti-epileptic meds. so what do you do? what do you say? last year my neuro said since i was in childbearing age, he started me on folic acid just incase we "accidentally" got pregnant. then he told me that trileptal was not safe, and he wanted to try me on lamictal since my seizures weren't controlled with just the trileptal. so he wanted to try and get me off the trileptal and just on lamictal since it's supposedly safer. well once my trileptal dose got too low -- the seizures started up again. i absolutely hate having epilepsy!! so anyways, i am STILL on trileptal and lamictal. i want to have a baby within the next couple of years but am scared i will start with the seizures again and that will affect the pregnancy, or worse the meds will hurt the baby. i hope someone can give me some advice or support. i don't know anyone else who is around my age and has epilepsy. it's not in my family at all. and the dr's say i developed it from a blow to the head i got (and never went to the hospital for) a couple of years ago. please help me!!!!!!!!!
thanks, akayn
Comments
Re: Re: Re: is it okay to become pregnant while on anti-epeltic
Submitted by gretat on Sun, 2006-10-22 - 09:26
I know it is easy to say, but don't be afraid to get pregnant!!! As long as you have a supportive husband and family, you will be fine. Your doctor sounds good. The key is to find the right combination of medication for you which controls your seizures. There are precautions you can take when you are pregnant like an amniocentesis in month 4 and vitamin K in month 7, and of course all that folic acid! I know so many women who have had viable pregnancies while on seizure meds. It seems a lot of the new drugs are better to be on while pregnant. It's handy that your mother-in-law is a nurse. If you are worried, you could get a second opinoun from another neurologist.
I have petit mal seizures, which started when I was 13. I tend to get them more around my period. They are much better when I am on birth control pills. All I really get is a little head jerking. But they are frustrating!!! I hate having them. They are controlled enough on the Trileptal, but I hate Trileptal. It makes me woozy and my sodium drops. I started Keppra 2 days ago. I am tapering up slowly and then trying to go off the Trileptal. But I don't know if it will work because I read it is really a secondary drug. I haven't had any adverse side effects. I had an allergic reaction to Tegretol and I hated Lamictal. But I might just end up back on the Depakote since I am not planning to have kids for a few years and that worked really well for me.
If this makes you feel any better, I know SO many people that had some grand mal seizures and then they went away. My dad had a few in his early 20s, stayed on medicine for about 10 years and never had any again. So it is very possible yours might! I hear ya though - it stinks to have them. You will be fine and have a beautiful baby and won't even remember this in a few years! :)
Re: Re: Re: Re: is it okay to become pregnant while on anti-epel
Submitted by akayn11803 on Sun, 2006-10-22 - 11:12
i sure hope so! my eyes begin to water every time i think about this whole pregnancy subject. i just get so frustrated you know. i haven't been able to drive in forever and it sucks having to depend upon every one else to get you where you need to go. but thank you VERY much for your response!!
i haven't really tried alot of diff. meds. i'm scared to switch because i usually have seizures you know. do you have seizures when switching. i hate the grand mals because i NEVER have any warning and i'm scraed of where i will be when it comes. uuggghhhh!
as for side effects and mewdicine i've been on ---- i am way forgetful. worse than before my seizure medicine, so i blame it on the med. haha. umm, i have gained weight and can't seem to get it off, not sure if it's just me or what. and here in the past like 3 months i get real nauseated for no reason, at any given time. but i haven't missed a period, and i've taken tests just to see and nothing.
i just am ready to get the med straight and get some facts and see just how many women have healthy babies on this junk. i wish so bad i could just go off the meds and see what happens. yeah right though. well i'm going to try this site out to look up drug info, a kind lady gave me. thank you all on this site, who have been so supportive but most of all helpful!
ashley kay
Re: Re: is it okay to become pregnant while on anti-epeltic meds
Submitted by akayn11803 on Sat, 2006-10-21 - 11:50
oh wow. i'm sorry you miscarried. i've never even thought that those meds would cause miscarriages. i'm scared now. at first no one thought it was seizures i was having, because no one witnessed it. but my mother in law (a nurse) witnessed and saw me having a tonic clonic one day. the first time i went in the er they put me on dilantin and after @ 6 months they took me off it. had too many side effects. then i was put on trileptal. i was on 1200mg /day. i got down to 600 a day but had another grand mal so they upped it again to 900. haven't tried to go down again though. i just made 7 months free of seizures. i also take 600mg of lamictal w/ my trileptal. they put me on that after they took me off of topamax over a year ago. bad side effects with that one too. so anyway, i'm scared to get off my medicine. i wonder if my epilepsy will ever go away?? in my cat scans and mri's they don't see any bruising, scarring, tumors or anything. the first ones i had done, the dr said he can tell that the seizures are coming from the left side of my brain though. the second x-rays like 2 yrs later - they couldn't see anything, not even on the left side??? so i don't know. i want to have kids - but it to be safe for me and the baby. i also want to breastfeed. i just wish my seizures would go away and never come back you know. LOL. do you drive???