Keppra and Pregnancy

[JesRoyston]

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!

[wintersweetmay]

I delivered my baby girl on August 31st. One week later I have been diagnosed with Cerebral Vein Thrombosis (a blood clot blocked my vein in my brain). Doctor put me on Keppra 500mg twice a day and he said it is probably ok breastfeed my baby. The Pedi said the factory does not recommend breastfeed. I am concerned about the side effect to my new born. Will appreciate any sharing of your experience.

[copeace]

Hello,

Dr. Hale rates the medications by risk. L1 medications are the most compatible with breastfeeding. The scale goes to L5, which are the medications you should avoid while breastfeeding.

Keppra is rated an L3. The infant will receive anywhere from 3.4% - 7.8% of mom’s dose of the medication. No adverse effects were noted in any of the breastfeeding infants. The authors of the studies that have been done conclude that the medication does pass to the infant through breastmilk, but the breastfed infant has a very low serum concentration, which suggests a rapid elimination of this medication.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to call us at the InfantRisk Center and we can visit with you on an individual basis. We are open Mon-Fri from 8:00am-5:00pm, CDT.

Colleen Peace, BSN, RN
TTUHSC, InfantRisk Center