I'm pregnant.

[LMReggcellent]

...for the first time, and just told my husband the news yesterday. I told one other friend because she has been pregnant twice and I told my neuro via email. My neuro gave Jon & I the go-ahead to start trying two years ago, and that was the time she started me on prescription folic acid and fetal-friendly lamotrigine. I've an appointment to see her next month. So I'll be spending a lot of time here now. Is there anything worth telling me to prep me for the next nine months and how epilepsy may affect my pregnancy? Thank you.

 

[qtowngirl]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great news!!

Fetal-friendly lamotrigine, I like the sound of that. Didn't know such a thing existed.
I decided after diagnosis and risks with carbamazepine that I wouldn't have kids, didn't want to chance complications with myself or the baby. So, no motherhood for me but I am always really happy to hear about someone else's good fortune!!
Hope all goes well, keep us informed!

 

[CathyAnn31]

Congrats on the pregnancy.

I was only diagnosed after I had my 3, so I'm no help in that department, sorry.

 

[rich956]

Congrats!!!1
They took my wife off mysolin during the pregnacy.Also she had ZERO siezures during her whole term but like aclock she had a TC a month after the arrival of a healthy boy.Stephen is now 21 and in college.
Vitamins are important,..Good Luck

 

[LJ-Bain]

Congratulations! That is amazing news!!!! I didn't start taking meds until after my 3 were born but I found that at the beginning of pregnancy, the first trimester my seizures really increased. They started to taper off as the pregnancy went on but my seizures were still more than before.
Then for the first 6 months (and NOT ovulating) while I was nursing I was seizure free! So mine are obviously hormonal. So if yours are at all then hold on tight! It may be a wild ride!

 

[Cint]

CONGRATULATIONS ON THE GOOD NEWS!! Now that your neurologist has you on folic acid and lamictal she will probably be keeping a closer eye on you throughout your pregnancy. Make sure your neuro and ob/gyn communicate as hormones can play a role in seizures for women. I now have two grown children and when I was pregnant with them, I was taking Dilantin. No seizures through the pregnancies, but after my second child was born is when my seizures increased. And it's been a wild ride ever since...............

BTW, both children are college graduates. My daughter is married and my son is going to law school. So they made it through those tough years watching their mom suffering from seizures.

 

[Nakamova]

Congratulations! The main thing with Lamictal is that its levels can be decreased by higher levels of estrogen that come with pregnancy. So you'll probably need to have your levels checked from time to time. And if you can, make sure your neurologist and OB-GYN are on the same page.

 

[CQ:)]

Congratulations LMR, that's great news.
Wish you all the best with your pregnancy.

 

[jackier]

Congratulations!
Keep yourself as safe as possible.
I had 2 kids and they are grown and doing great.
My gyno insisted that I have C-sections so that there wouldn't
be any complications(in case I had a seizure).
Be extremely nice to yourself.
Again congratulations to you & your husband.

 

[seizingbeauty]

Congratulations, I wish you and your soon to be bigger family all the best!

 

[huskymom]

Fantastic news!! I would say, try not to stress about any possible seizures, as that can bring them on. Just enjoy being pregnant. I know that is not what a lot of women do/feel, but I always loved it. Big hugs to you both!

 

[LMReggcellent]

Thank you for the congrats and information everyone! My neuro increased my meds last week and I'll be getting my levels checked every month, for lamotrigine and vitamins.

 

[LMReggcellent]

One week after raising my meds I am having more more seizures than usual, but not hurting myself. So I expect to write my neuro via email tomorrow, get a blood test this week and raise my lamotrigine does a bit. I'll see her on June 6. I wonder how much I can expect my drugs to go up during this pregnancy, can you give me an idea? Call it curiosity, thanks.

 

[Nakamova]

I'm not sure there's a way to predict exactly how much your particular Lamictal levels may need to be raised, since there are big differences in lamotrigine clearance between individuals. Some women can experience a large drop in lamotrigine blood levels during pregnancy, while others may experience a much more modest decrease. (It's not yet clear what accounts for these differences between individuals.) But according to one study http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14745072, lamotrigine was being cleared from the system at a gradually increasing rate over the course of the pregnancy -- more than 3 times faster than normal by the 8-month mark.

Another study http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12136066 found that "pregnancy increases LTG clearance by >50%."

Together these studies suggest that your lamotrigine dose may eventually need to double in order to maintain your therapeutic pre-pregnancy blood plasma levels.