Archive for November 13th, 2008

OB/GYN News - Drugs, Pregnancy, and Lactation - Antiepileptics

Thursday, November 13th, 2008

An estimated 0.5%-2% of pregnant women are on antiepileptic medication. Most experts would agree that medical treatment of seizures cannot be stopped during pregnancy because of the high risks to the fetus if the mother has a seizure. The problem is that most first-line antiepileptic drugs have been associated with some degree of fetal risk, although the vast majority of exposed fetuses are not affected.
Some studies suggest epilepsy itself is associated with a higher risk of …