Credit score: Unsplash/CC0 Public Area
A brand new examine that examined older and newer drugs to deal with seizures has discovered that utilizing some drugs throughout being pregnant is linked to an elevated threat of malformations at beginning, or beginning defects. The examine is printed in Neurology.
“Seizures can lead to falls and other complications during pregnancy, so seizure control for those with epilepsy is crucial to protect the health of both the mother and child,” mentioned examine creator Sonia Hernandez-Diaz, MD, DrPH, of Harvard T.H. Chan Faculty of Public Well being in Boston, Massachusetts.
“While some older drugs are known to increase the risk of major malformations, less is known about the safety of newer ‘second-generation’ medications. Our study looked at a number of drugs and provides valuable information for health care providers and people who may become pregnant to make more informed decisions about the use of these medications during pregnancy.”
For the examine, researchers checked out 7,311 girls who have been taking an antiseizure remedy throughout the first trimester of being pregnant. They have been in comparison with 1,311 girls who didn’t take antiseizure drugs.
Individuals accomplished telephone interviews initially of the examine, at seven months pregnant, and inside three months after supply.
Researchers confirmed beginning defects by way of medical data. These included cleft lips; larger-than-normal holes within the coronary heart; neural tube defects the place the spinal twine didn’t develop correctly, reminiscent of spina bifida; lacking or underdeveloped limbs; and different points the place components of the physique didn’t kind accurately.
They then seemed on the threat of those beginning defects amongst infants uncovered to particular antiseizure drugs taken throughout the first trimester of being pregnant and in contrast them to infants uncovered to lamotrigine, an antiseizure remedy used because the reference group.
Researchers discovered that the chance of main beginning defects assorted amongst drugs. Valproate posed the best threat, with main beginning defects occurring in 9% of infants uncovered. Phenobarbital adopted at 6%. Amongst newer medication, beginning defects occurred in 5% of these uncovered to topiramate, whereas the group uncovered to lamotrigine had malformations in 2% of births.
When in comparison with those that took lamotrigine, those that took valproate had greater than 5 instances the chance of beginning defects, those that took phenobarbital had practically thrice the chance, and people taking topiramate had over twice the chance.
“Our results confirm that using valproate, phenobarbital or topiramate during early pregnancy is linked to a higher chance of major birth defects in the infants when compared to lamotrigine,” Hernandez-Diaz mentioned. “On the other hand, our results did not show an increased risk with medications like levetiracetam, oxcarbazepine, gabapentin and zonisamide. For lacosamide and pregabalin, the data wasn’t clear enough to make solid conclusions, so more research is needed.”
A limitation of the examine was that individuals have been enrolled months after conception and usually early losses of being pregnant weren’t assessed for malformations, so the variety of malformations total could have been underestimated.
Extra data:
Sonia Hernandez-Diaz et al, Use of Antiseizure Medicines Early in Being pregnant and the Danger of Main Malformations within the New child, Neurology (2025). DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000213786
Supplied by
American Academy of Neurology
Quotation:
Throughout being pregnant, newer antiseizure drugs could also be safer than older medication (2025, July 16)
retrieved 16 July 2025
from https://medicalxpress.com/information/2025-07-pregnancy-antiseizure-medications-safer-older.html
This doc is topic to copyright. Aside from any truthful dealing for the aim of personal examine or analysis, no
half could also be reproduced with out the written permission. The content material is supplied for data functions solely.
