Posted by SLS on February 1, 2005, at 14:09:14
In reply to I take Lamictal and I'm Pregnant, posted by Angielala on February 1, 2005, at 11:34:06
Hi.
I can't begin to imagine how wrenching must be the experience of wanting such information and not getting it.
> Here's my issue. I'm 4 weeks pregnant and I'm on Lamictal.If your manias are so disruptive, and you are confident that Lamictal is preventing it, I would see continuing on Lamictal to be one of your better choices. The anticonvulsant most associated with birth defects is Depakote (valproate; valproic acid). So far, Lamictal seems to be OK, but there is insufficient study of this issue to be able to absolutely guarantee its safety. I'm sure that is a frustrating answer to keep hearing. Right now, there are several pregnancy registries being organized to record pregnancy outcomes while being treated with these medications.
"Each has enlisted 3-5,000 pregnancies in women with epilepsy, and the North American and the U.K. have released preliminary observations. Thus the U.K. registry reported a higher malformation rate with valproate, 5.9% (4.3-8.2%; 95% CI), than with carbamazepine, 2.3% (1.4-3.7%), and lamotrigine, 2.1% (1.0-4.0%). Most of the more recent cohort studies have also identified a nonsignificant trend toward a higher teratogenicity with valproate."
From:
Epilepsia. 2004 Oct;45(10):1171-5.
Navigating toward fetal and maternal health: the challenge of treating epilepsy in pregnancy.Tomson T, Perucca E, Battino D.
poster:SLS
thread:451001
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050128/msgs/451075.html