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Pregnancy on Meds and over 35
Sat, 02/24/2007 - 13:51Topic: Women With Epilepsy
Hi, I am new to this website and I am really glad I found you guys. I am 36 and I have had epilepsy since I was 27. I have had one Grand Mal seizure when I was 27 and after that it's been just complex partial seizures. I have been stable on meds for 4 years. I am on 1400 mg of Carbatrol and 200 mg of Topamax daily along with 2.5 mg of folic acid. Since I've had epilepsy I've always sort of convinced myself that pregnancy and children wouldn't be the best route for me due to the meds, birth defects and everything. I have a wonderful boyfriend now who absolutely wants kids. Seeing his love for children makes me want to revisit my previous decision and weigh all my options. I'm just so stable on my meds that I am scared of lowering, changing, going off of my meds for the risk of a seizure. I know that being on two meds is more risky for the baby then one. I know I would probably have to change to one med and lower the dosage. I've also been seizure free for 4 years, but I am scared if I change anything I might go back to my previous pattern of Complex partials or worse. I've seen a lot on this site about Lamictal being ok, but then again I'm afraid to change. I've also read a lot about a lot of babies turning out absolutely healthy while the mother stayed on her meds. I don't know if I could take that chance. Another factor in all of this is that I am 36 and my boyfriend is 41. We're not getting any younger. We're not planning any of this right now. We're not even married yet. I know there's more added risks the older you get for men and women and now add that to the meds and the epilepsy. I'm just thinking about everything and weighing all my options. I'd love to hear anything from you guys! Thanks:)
Comments
Re: Re: Pregnancy on Meds and over 35
Submitted by alvarose on Mon, 2007-06-11 - 13:46
I am 43 and currently preggo with child #3 and on generic carbamazapen. I was pregnant in 2000 with my son and I was on Dilantin. No problems he's healthy boy who attended kindy last year. Full term, normal birthweight, no issues.
In 2004 I was on Tegretol and pregnant with my daughter. I got super high blood pressure and she was delivered by C-section at 32 weeks. Born less than two pounds. Was in the NICU until 9 months and then came home at 5 lbs and has no problems. She is quite intelligent and good looking (if I do say so myself, LOL).
Currently wearing number three, truly my major concern isn't as much my seizure meds as developing pre-eclampsia or maybe even the big E itself.
Re: Pregnancy on Meds and over 35
Submitted by Sugar on Fri, 2007-07-13 - 15:06
Hi there! Boy your story sounds familiar. :) I had written off having kids too but my husband is so great with babies and children I thought I'd look into it and keep my options open. Talking to my neurologist and reading about other women w/Epilepsy having healthy children made me feel better about getting pregnant.
Since I hadn't had a Grand Mal seizure in over 10 years and my Simple Partial seizures were under control I was weaned off of Dilantin, Depakote and Phenobarbital and put on 1500g of Keppra and 4mg of folic acid. I was worried about switching too but fortunately all I had during that time was an occasional partial seizure.
Long story short, I just turned 38 and I'm 34 weeks pregnant. I haven't had any seizures. I had a genetic ultrasound at 20 weeks and the dr was 98% sure the baby does NOT have Down's Syndrome. So far so good!
There is a downside though. My neurologist told me this morning that I shouldn't breastfeed. It came as a huge shock since I was so looking forward to it. I naively assumed that if a medication was safe for pregnancy it would be safe for breastfeeding too. Guess that's not true... I've read on other websites that some meds are safe. Maybe he's ultra conservative? He said that in all of the literature he has, breastfeeding while on any anti-convulsants was not recommended.
Anyway you may want to talk to to your neurologist, ob and pediatrician about breastfeeding too so you won't be heartbroken like I am now. I'm trying to look on the bright side, so far the baby seems perfect.
Good luck!
Re: Pregnancy on Meds and over 35
Submitted by maraj on Sun, 2007-02-25 - 17:53
I'm also 36 and trying to have kids. I switched from Depakote to Lamictal. I would recommend a long talk with your epileptologist and a high-risk OB. You might want to have that conversation now, as it can take a while to switch meds. I think it took about 2-3 months to transition over to Lamictal. A high-risk OB can take you through the risks of meds, etc. I found it very helpful.