Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Keppra and Breastfeeding

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Keppra and Breastfeeding

    To anyone concerned about breastfeeding or being pregnant on Keppra for epilepsy, please read this! I am a 29 year old with a 6-month old son who is doing wonderfully. I am still nursing while taking a total of 1750mg of Keppra (generic) per day and was on 1500mg while pregnant after getting grand mal seizures. I was VERY concerned throughout my pregnancy as any mother would be but I want to share my story now so that if you are taking this medication you can be assured things will be fine! He has been hitting all his targets, his pediatrician doesn't believe the medication is affecting him at all, and it obviously didn't during my pregnancy or labor either. If anyone has any specific questions you can email me at jroyston@naturalrev.com because I know I would have loved to hear some positivity while I was searching for answers a few months back. Best of luck to all and remember to pray!

  • #2
    I am 36, expecting my first baby in early February 2014, and suffered tonic-clonic seizures in Week 24. Was put on Keppra (750 mg twice a day) to control them. (I had two seizures earlier in life--age 16 and age 28--but had never been medicated for epilepsy.)
    Jes's post above is reassuring, but I would like to inquire with experts as to whether it would be advisable or beneficial to "pump and dump" breastmilk while nursing on Keppra. I understand that the time-to-peak of Keppra in my bloodstream is two hours after dosing, when taken with a meal. Would the baby then logically receive less of the drug if I "pump and dump" some milk at that time? If so, how much/for how long? Are there any other methods you suggest wherein I can still breastfeed, but the baby will receive the minimum dose possible?

    Comment


    • #3
      Hi, are there any responses to this very good question? I have a similar medical history and am wondering the same thing. I am 38 soon to be 39 weeks pregnant, and was diagnosed last week with epilepsy. Am on 1000mg per day of generic keppra and reluctant to breastfeed although i want to VERY much like I did with my other two children.

      Comment


      • #4
        Hi, thanks for your post.

        Studies done on nursing mothers taking 1500-3500 mg of levetiracetam (Keppra) per day suggest that the infant gets 3-8% of the mother's dose through the milk. Babies appear to metabolize and clear this medication without any problem. The most well-done trials report no problems in the breastfed infants exposed to levetiracetam. However, one case report described poor muscle tone and poor feeding in a baby exposed to several anticonvulsants at once. We give levetiracetam an L2 safety rating (out of 5) ("Safer").

        Please call us at the InfantRisk Center if this has not completely answered your question.*(806)352-2519

        -James Abbey, MD

        Comment


        • #5
          We should always consider drug interactions specially when pregnant. Always follow the right procedures in taking medications like neurontin generic for epilepsy. There might be instances of side effects which is part of medication but it is always at minimal level.

          Comment

          Working...
          X