Epilepsy & Seizures Support Group

Epilepsy (often referred to as a seizure disorder) is a chronic neurological condition characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizures. It is commonly controlled with medication, although surgical methods are used as well. Seizures (or convulsions) are temporary abnormal electrophysiologic phenomena of the brain, resulting in abnormal synchronization of electrical neuronal...

647 Members
2,812 Posts
0 Online
Brain & Nervous System
/ Epilepsy & Seizures Support Group

tegretol & Pregnancy

fluter
fluter
Has anyone been pregnant while on tegretol? My daughter wants a baby but I'm afriad of the side effects. Any one with personal experience? She startetd with grand mal seizures, now they are partial complex seizures and I think, (still not sure) that they are hormonally related. Pregnancy usually exasperates any hormonal problem, I just don't know what to tell her.
deleted_user
deleted_user
I was on tegretol or carbatrol on all 3 of my pregnancies. I had like 3 different docs (a new one each pregnancy) and each told me the most severe side effect the baby could get was cleft lip/palete. Each made sure that I was on PRESCRIPTION folic acid. Not the kind in the store, OTC, it needed to be the strong prescription. All my kids were born just fine.
deleted_user
deleted_user
YES! I was on Tegretol during my last pregnancy. I had weaned down to only 200mg of tegretol, and planned out the PG. I was PG with Fraternal twins, Miscarried one. After the miscarriage They did several ultra sounds. Docs said Tegretol causes Cleft Palates, Heart defects. They did ultrasound JUST on his heart. The baby was born perfect! but the docs were extra careful! I too had hormonal seizures! The seizure activity stayed about the same. You can check out the "Baby" on my profile... Called "Mustache man" Good luck!
fluter
fluter
Thank you for sharing your storys, it really makes me feel so much better hearing it from 'real' people.

My daughter's next appointment is with a neuroendocrinologist. who specializes in hormones. Keeping my fingers crossed.
deleted_user
deleted_user
I was on Tegretol during a my last pregnancy. that was 23 years ago though. I was fighting grand mal seizures and tegretol seems to be, even to this day, the only thing that helps. It doesn't completely control them but helps.

At that time, I think I was taking 200mg, 4 times a day (800mg. a day). I didn't take folic acid or anything else with this med. My baby was 5 or 6 weeks premature, but he still weighed 6lb 14oz.

He had problems though. He was born with a hernia pushing bowel contents up into his stomach...he had surgery within 2 weeks. He was also born totally and completely deaf in one ear...hearing aid does not help his kind of hearing loss. He is 23 today, never had a problem because of hearing problem. He plays in a band and he is a cook. He always excelled in school, no learning problem.

The docs say that because I had so very many seizures during pregnacy that they think the lack of oxygen to the baby during my seizures probably caused his deafness....maybe him being born premature contributed. My sizures are NOT hormonally related. I almost wish they were, it could give me more control in my life knowing that seizures would mainly only come during my cycle. No such luck for me. Some people do have this though