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Seizure frequency in pregnant women treated with lamotrigine monotherapy
Author(s) -
Sabers Anne,
Petrenaite Vaiva
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
epilepsia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.687
H-Index - 191
eISSN - 1528-1167
pISSN - 0013-9580
DOI - 10.1111/j.1528-1167.2009.02166.x
Subject(s) - lamotrigine , medicine , pregnancy , epilepsy , pharmacokinetics , cohort , anticonvulsant , pediatrics , cohort study , antiepileptic drug , anesthesia , obstetrics , psychiatry , genetics , biology
Summary Previous studies have demonstrated that the pharmacokinetics of the new antiepileptic drug (AED) lamotrigine (LTG) are substantially influenced by pregnancy and are more likely to be associated with seizure deterioration in pregnancy compared to other AEDs. This is of great concern, as LTG has developed into a first‐line AED for women of childbearing age. In this study we evaluated the risk of seizure deterioration in a cohort of women treated with LTG monotherapy (n = 42) who were closely monitored with frequent dose adjustments based on monthly routine plasma level determinations. It was demonstrated that with this close monitoring set‐up, the risk of increased seizure frequency (19%) was not higher than that reported for other AED treatment regimens.