Recent News and Articles on the Keywords: birth defect + birth defects + epilepsy  Related to the article below (Last Update: 8/5/2008)

Epilepsy Drug May Increase Risk Of Birth Defects eMaxHealth.com, NC - Taking the epilepsy drug topiramate alone or along with other epilepsy drugs during pregnancy may increase the risk of birth defects. ... dBTechno J&J's Epilepsy Drug Topamax Raised Birth Defect Risk in Study Bloomberg - Jul 21, 2008 By Chantal Britt July 21 (Bloomberg) -- Johnson & Johnson's epilepsy drug Topamax raises the risk of birth defects such as facial and genital deformities, ... Epilepsy Drug May Boost Birth Defect Risk Washington Post Topamax May Raise Risk of Birth Defects WebMD Epilepsy drug Topamax linked to birth defects Los Angeles Times guardian.co.uk - Telegraph.co.uk all 66 news articles » Study links epilepsy drug to increased birth-defect risk USA Today - Jul 21, 2008 By Mary Brophy Marcus, USA TODAY Pregnant women who take the epilepsy drug topiramate may increase their newborn's risk of birth defects, especially if they ... Epilepsy drug may increase risk of birth defects CBC.ca, Canada - Jul 22, 2008 Pregnant women who take a common epilepsy drug may increase their risk of birth defects, finds a new study. Women who take topiramate (Topamax) in isolation ... HealthNews Epilepsy Drug May Cause Birth Defects HealthNews, CA - Jul 27, 2008 The new study was one of the first to link Topamax to an increased risk of birth defects seen in babies born to mothers with epilepsy, but is not the first ... Exposure To Epilepsy Drugs During Pregnancy Can Increase Birth ... Medical News Today (press release), UK - Jul 24, 2008 Of the 178 infants born, 16 had major birth defects, including four infants with cleft palates or lips, and four male infants with genital birth defects. ... Epilepsy Drugs Topiramate and Valporate Raise Risk of Birth ... InjuryBoard.com, FL - Jul 23, 2008 So women with epilepsy must consider the risks differently. Not taking Topamax may put the fetus of a mother with epilepsy at risk for injury from seizures, ... NHS Choices Antiepileptic drugs and birth defects NHS Choices, UK - Jul 22, 2008 ?Epilepsy drug link to birth defects found? is the headline in The Guardian. Research into the drug topiramate, which is also used for people with migraines ... Minimising Birth Defect Risk For Pregnant Women With Epilepsy Medical News Today (press release), UK - Jul 16, 2008 Women taking antiepileptic drugs and planning a pregnancy are advised to prepare well ahead of conception to reduce the risk of birth defects, according to ... Epileptics told to prepare for pregnancy Sky News Australia all 3 news articles » Discoveries: Blood test for heart; epilepsy drug Chicago Tribune, United States - Jul 28, 2008 Pregnant women who use the epilepsy drug topiramate may be increasing their risk of birth defects, British researchers report. ...

Epilepsy Drug Linked to Birth Defects

TUESDAY, Aug. 8 (HealthDay News) -- A new study adds to evidence that women of child-bearing age should avoid an epilepsy drug that could cause birth defects.

Researchers who followed more than 300 pregnant mothers found that about 20 percent of those who took the drug valproate had miscarriages or babies who suffered from birth defects.

The rates of problems were significantly lower among women who took three other epilepsy drugs to control seizures.

Doctors have been suspicious about the effects of epilepsy drugs on pregnant women for about 40 years, said study lead author Dr. Kimford Meador, professor of neurology at the University of Florida and a fellow at the American Academy of Neurology.

By the 1990s, it was pretty clear that women taking multiple anti-convulsive drugs had increased risks," he said.

It has become routine to prescribe just one drug to women with epilepsy, but there still seemed to be a risk, according to Meador.

In the new study, Meador and his colleagues examined the records of 333 American and British pregnant women who took epilepsy drugs between 1999 and 2004.

The researchers found that fetal death or serious birth defects occurred in 20 percent of the women who took valproate. Other problem rates were 11 percent for phenytoin, 8 percent for carbamazepine and 1 percent for lamotrigine.

The four drugs are also known by their U.S. brand names Depacon (valproate), Dilantin (phenytoin), Tegretol (carbamazepine) and Carbatrol (carbamazepine), and Lamictal (lamotrigine).

The study findings were published in the Aug. 8 issue of the journal Neurology.

The good news, according to Meador, is that more than 90 percent of all the pregnant women who took the drugs gave birth to normal children. Still, "their risk is elevated against the general population," in which defects occur in about 2 percent to 3 percent of births.

Why is valproate, which is also used to treat some psychological disorders, so hazardous? The answer isn't clear, but Meador speculated that the drug may form molecules that bind to DNA and proteins in the body, adversely affecting the developing fetus.

What should doctors and pregnant mothers with epilepsy do?

Dr. Gholam Motamedi, an assistant professor of neurology at Georgetown University who was part of the large study group that contributed to the new research, said use of valproate should be limited. However, the research "provides evidence that perhaps at lower doses, and when there is no better option, valproate may not be that bad and can be used at lower doses," he added.

Motamedi said it's important to note that the study only looked at a small number of women, and there are newer anti-epilepsy drugs that were not included in the research.

Future research will determine the full extent of birth defects, such as possible cognitive and development problems that only show up later in life, he said.

More information

Pregnant women who take epilepsy drugs are asked to join the Antiepileptic Drug Pregnancy Registry.