are seizures dangerous in pregnancy?

[megs4413]

does anyone know?

[Saartje]

Shouldn't you be asking your doctor this question?

[C99]

Yours or Maddie's?

[SJ mom]

If your question is for whether the seizure medications are dangerous for a fetus while you take them...then yes, certain seizure meds are dangerous in the sense that they can cause certain physical malformations, failure in normal development of the fetus/fetal organs. If you are taking medications, I would definately ask your OB about the medications and see if the one you are taking is approved for pregnant mom's or TOC moms. If not you may need to change the med. ASk about the half life and how long after the medication is stopped until you can get pregnant. HTH
Diane

[kijip]

Um, yeah considering that they could be a sign of any number of serious health conditions. Talk to a doctor right away.

Do you have epilepsy? My mother does and she had some close calls with seizures while pregnant.

[kijip]

The OP is already pregnant.

There are meds that are ok to take throughout pregnancy for epilepsy that must be treated. At least my mother took them through three pregnancies. However the pregnancies seem to have caused my mom to have a spike a seizures despite her meds. Any pregnant woman that has seizures needs to be actively working with both her doctors the whole time.

[jennifer13]

A seizure is dangerous any time because of the additional risks, such as a car accident. I hope you are seeking medical attention. I know it's scary, I've been dealing with diagnosing a seizure disorder myself. Feel free to PM me.

Jennifer
Mom to Norah 5/23/03
and Leah 3/24/05

[Saccade]

I'm assuming this is NOT a first seizure, but rather a seizure during pregnancy in someone who has had seizures before. If it is a first seizure, the person needs immediate evaluation.

As the PP mentions, seizures have various dangers to the person having the seizure, depending on seizure type. If the seizure causes an alteration in consciousness, driving, climbing, swimming, etc. can all be risks. More at http://www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/safety.html

If you are asking about danger to a baby from a seizure, some seizure types are dangerous to a fetus and some are not (based on large epidemiological studies). Some medications are more and some are less dangerous, and the danger changes depending on what trimester you are in. It's usually a question of balancing risks.

{ET remove my professional info}. PM me if you want a referral to someone in your area who can answer your specific questions.

ETA clarify medical info

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[megs4413]

i should have added details!

i'm an epileptic. i was diagnosed with juvenile myoclonic (sp?) epilepsy when i was in high school. I was on meds for awhile, but the side effects were worse than the disease for me and i was allowed to wean off, and as long as i stayed seizure free, stay off. i've been off meds and been seizure free for a long time. i think the stress that this pregnancy is putting on me both emotionally and physically is causing the seizures to emerge again. the seizures i have last less than 3 seconds generally (though as a young person i did have more serious seizures in my sleep that only occurred while sleeping--go figure...). i was just wondering if seizures in and of themselves are harmful to babies in utero. I had an OB appointment this morning so i talked to him a bout it. From what I gather, the seizures i am having are not harmful to the baby, but if they progress and get worse (last longer...) the doc wants me to go on meds which i know carry their own risks in prengnancy. I'm hoping if i can get my stress level down (it's been a rough week around here!) and take better care of myself, that the seizures will resolve on their own. Typically, i only seize when i am either very sleep deprived or very stressed out. They can also be triggered by flashing lights.

I guess i'm just gonna have to take it easy and stop going clubbing every night...darn strobe lights! (J/K)...thanks for the info!

[Saccade]

Ah! Well, if I can help somehow, don't hesitate to PM me.

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[lmintzer]

Megs,
Are you working with a good neurologist? Your OB should be in contact with him/her to make sure things are safe for you and baby.

My dh is a neurologist who specializes in epilepsy. He wears a button on his white coat that says "No Side Effects." He feels very strongly that those who need meds should NOT be suffering. There are a lot of new drugs out there and a lot that can be tried if you do wind up needing meds again. So do not despair if this is the case.

Please feel free to PM me if you have general questions you'd like him to answer. I'm sure he'd direct you to your doctor and would want you to check to make sure you are seeing someone good. Some general neurologists know epilepsy well and some do not.

[Saccade]

I must know your husband... See you in San Diego this year at the AES? I PMed you to say hi.

E for typo -- it's Diego!

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[megs4413]

to be perfectly honest, i'm terrified of neurologists after the experiences I've had. i would be interested in hearing the med choices now as it has been at least 4 years since i've seen a neuro....

[Saccade]

:( Come see us at an epilepsy center! We can usually help with the most current treatment recs, both medical and surgical (not surgical for JME, though). Unfortunately, a lot of general neurologists are not totally up to date.

As Lisa says, our mantra is "No seizures, no side effects". It can be that way, especially with JME, which is usually very easy to control with medications. If you need help finding an epilepsy center near you, just ask. You can visit once, or rarely (annualy) and we can work with your local neurologist to tune up your meds.

Anyhow, let us know where you are (post or PM) and we can hook you up, I'm sure.

ETA: I will be out of town unexpectedly (family member gravely ill) so I may not be online tonight, but I will get back to you.

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