Anyone on Lamictal?

Question

I've been to the doctor today and he really scared me... I'm on a low dose of Lamictal lamotrigine (for epilepsy) and he kept reiterating the risk of foetal abnormalities. Has anyone else had a similar experience with taking risky medication while pregnant?

Answer

I am 23 weeks pregnant and on Lamictal. I also have a 5 yr old daughter. I took Lamictal my entire pregnancy with my daughter. She is 100% healthy. I was so scared to make the wrong decision about taking the medicine while pregnant. There are a lot of scary things side effects that can happen while taking Lamictal while pregnant, but the benefits outweigh the risks for me.

Answer

Thanks so much both of you, that makes me feel a lot better. I felt like he was suggesting I consider whether to progress with the pregnancy! I'm going to see a obstetrician/neurologist (what an amazing job?!) so I'll definitely talk to her about whether to increase my folic acid.

Answer

I'm going to see an obstetrician who specialises in neurology next week hopefully. I'll update you all on what I find out after the appt 😊

Answer

My friend was on that her whole pregnancy without problems. I've been on it for years too. But I have stopped it while TTC. My obgyn office had their geneticist run a report on it. They found that instances of cleft palate were no higher than the general population. The manufacturer does, however, recommend taking 4-5mg of folic acid to counter act any possible defects from lamictal. So my obgyn wrote me an Rx for 5mg folic. Since I've stopped the medicine tho I've gone down to 1mg. Maybe see if your obgyn can do a similar report on it.

Answer

I take lamictal and I have to take it for a seizure related disorder. It's nice to see some responses from women in the same boat. I take extra folic acid and at 13 weeks things look good o far. I used to take depakote and my doc switched me to lamictal when I decided to have a baby. My doc hasn't mentioned any delivery concerns.

Answer

Omg!! I was on it for 7 years!! Took it every single day!! I was addicted to it!  Buy I've been cutting down 4 the last 2 years.. I completely got off the pill. Been clean 2 weeks now.. n I only got the 25 milligrams n I actually used a pill cutter n cut it up into 8ths!!! So the more u cut down.  The easier it is!!

Answer

I am also on lamictal for my epilepsy. I have been closely monitored throughout my pregnancy by my OB and neurologist. My dosage has doubled since becoming pregnant due to changing blood levels. The main concern is cleft lip/palate. I was told that the risk of that is only  2-3% greater than that of "normal" pregnancies. I have read that the chances of autism are higher, but I haven't delved too deep into that research. 
Also, out of curiosity... has your doctor talked about delivery? Mine wants to give me an epidural almost immediately so that I will be able to get rest but I've seen someone else here say they will be forced into having a c-section as a result of their epilepsy. Curious to know what other doctors are doing/saying.

Anyone on Lamictal?

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