worried about seizure meds harming my baby

[future hopes]

hello ive just poped over from first tri i was just wondering if there was anyone on the seizure meds levetiracetam, im on them and dr says i still must take even tho im pregnant, thing im comp crapping myself and worrying like mad, i know couple severel yrs ago who had a still birth to her epelepsy meds. dont know wat ones she was on. but im scared the same thing will happen to me. im on anti reject meds because i had a liver transplant lasy yr in feb, but my liver consultant said there safe to take in pregnancy but may make baby small and theres a chance of prem labour, but ill prob have to b induced early anyway. sadly he cudent say much about the seizure meds cuz mu gp deals with them. and i have to still keep taking them plz help really wanna hear some storys of a sucsesfull pregnancy and a healthy baby at the end of it. plz help im so worriwed

 

[future hopes]

just been looking up and it dont look good

somesites said low birth weight which isnt so bad
but other sites said adnormalities, m/c and still birth
can anyone help plz.

 

[Betheney]

i don't know much about the specifics of various anti-seizure meds but you will find that the risk of taking them to the baby is usually less than the risk to the mother if you stop taking them.

It's bad for the baby if a mother has a seizure while pregnant it deprives the baby of oxygen and can also CAUSE miscarriage and still birth.

So while the meds are a risk for the baby unfortunately not taking them can be a greater risk for the baby so you have to choose the lesser of the two evils, which is usually taking the meds.

For babies whose mothers take seizure medication, the risk of birth defects is 4 to 8 percent — compared with 2 to 3 percent for all babies... i know this is a greater risk so it will make you feel uneasy but it's not a DRAMATICALLY greater risk, it's not 40% or 80% it's just 4-8% and the risk seems to be highest when more than one seizure medication is taken, particularly at high doses.

Are you taking more than 1? is it at crazy high doses?

Why are you seeing a GP about it and not a neurologist? the women i know on anti-seizure meds see neurologists and most of them over a 6 month period or sometimes longer worked with their neurologists to shorten the dosages for a future pregnancy. Was yours a surprise pregnancy? because most doctors should try and work towards smaller dosages before their patients become pregnant. Of course this is not suitable for all but definitely for some.

Good luck my dear!

P.S. Be careful of people who are going to tell you to just go off them as you'll be doing the baby a favour, there is a reason you're on them and going off them can be rather dangerous for ALL parties involved.

 

[future hopes]

thank u so much for getting back. im only on one type and its 250mgs.im still taking them i c my pregnancy consultant who will b looking after me throughout my pregnancy on tuesday, its to discuss my meds and also the care i will need. she may change the seizure meds or lower the dose, ive just got to wait to c wat she says really. im also on anti rejection meds because i had liver failure last year and needed a emergency transplant, however ive been told those meds will b fine they can just coarse prem birth and small babies.

dont think i did myself any favours wen i went and googled my seizure meds there were like 3 sites that said they can baby small low birthwaight. but there was a site that said can cause m/c fetel problems like baby being deformed and still birth, and thats wat got me really upsett and worried.

dr wanted me on them still because it out waighs the risk, but i just got to c wat my consultant says next week she is a high risk pregnancy and baby specealist. its just doin my head in waiting. i havent even had a scan or nothing yet she has got a portable one in her room so she may scan me then because there not sure of my dates, they think im about 9 wks now and r scanning me in 3 wks time. but im kinda hoping she uses her portable thing on tuesday just so i no there is deffo something there and all is well for the time. im such a bag of nervs but im trying to stay positive. x

 

[l.e.d.]

I agree with Betheny... the risk associated with not taking your meds and having a seizure far outweighs the chance that something could go wrong if you do take them. Talk to your doctor for sure, but in the mean time don't stop taking your meds until you have talked to him/her.

 

[future hopes]

thank u hunny

i will for sure talk to my consultant and i wont stop taking unless im told by a dr or my consultant. someone got hold of me in a different thread and said there friend was on the same seizure meds and her friends baby was fine.

i just prey me and my baby will b fine also. suffered 3 losses so really dont wanna lose this one but ur rite my doctor did say it out waighs the risk.