Pregnant and Keppra XR

[daguinaga]

Hello,

I wish to have kids in a near future, currently I am taking Keppra (3,000 mg a day), it has completly control my seizures and I feel fortunately for this. However, I will like to know if this is a safe medicine to get pregnant with. I know it is still consider as new medicine for epilepsy, and there might be risks for birth defects. I just want to make sure if there has been new research about this medicine and pregnancy, I will like my future children to be healthy. Is there also a big percentage for my children to have epilepsy? How can I prevent any birth defect from happening? What medicine will be better or safer to have children with and still treat my epilepsy? I do not know what type of epilepsy I have, the doctor never told me.

Thanks ,

Diana

[brendais]

Hello,
So I read your story and was wondering what your final outcomes were. I am also currently in the same page. Taking keppra xr 3,000mg which helped but has not fully controlled my partial siezures so recently I just got added to vimpat as well. And want to get pregnant. Also on giving your child epilepsy I've been informed that it is not inherited. Hope to hear more about your story.

[Dr Sharma]

Hi there. According to US FDA, keppra is a category C drug which means caution needs to be exercised but benefits may outweigh the potential risks. There are no published reports of pregnancy outcomes in keppra treated women.  The risk of defects is higher in women taking more than one anti epileptic drug and with women who have family history of birth defects. Folic acid supplementation at least 400 mcg to help prevent neural tube defects with keppra use is advocated though not proven. Diagnostic ultrasonography at 18th to 20th week is advocated. Few women have seizures more often during pregnancy because of hormonal changes or changes in the pregnancy related drug metabolism. Discuss your concerns also with your neurologist who might want to adjust the drug dosage and change the drug. Hope this helps. Take care.