According to the Pulse Today, newer antiepileptic drugs may not be linked to birth defects when taken during the first trimester of pregnancy. Danish researchers have found that 2.4% of births in women not exposed to antiepileptic drugs were diagnosed with major birth defects, as defined by congenital anomalies classification system. In a large study of children born in Denmark, including those exposed to newer antiepileptic drugs, researchers found the rate of major birth defects was 3.2 percent for babies born to women taking various epilepsy medications.
The study included 800,000 Danish births and the scientists found no support for an increased risk of birth defects following use of newer generation antiepileptic in the first trimester of pregnancy, said the lead author Ditte Molgaard-Nielsen, an epidemiologist at Statens Serum Institute of Copenhagen.
Between 0.2 percent and 0.5 percent of pregnant women take antiepileptic medications during pregnancy, according to the study’s background information. Most women are prescribed antiepileptic drugs to help control seizures or for bipolar mood disorders and migraines. Older epilepsy medications such as Phenobarbital, phenytoin, valporate and carbamazepine have been linked to a higher risk of birth defects.
In the study, 1,532 babies were exposed to newer epilepsy medications during the first trimester of pregnancies such as oxcarbazepine, topiramate, happening and levetiracetam. About 3.2 were diagnosed with major birth defects, which the study found to be low, with babies exposed to topiramate had 44 percent higher odds of having a birth defect.
