Topamax May Cause Birth Defects
I do have to admit, sometimes I get a kind of perverse pleasure finding out whenever is something is wrong with topiramate (best known as the brand Topamax). I really don’t know why this is. Perhaps because my doctor thinks I’m a poor candidate for the medicine and so I’m trying not to miss what I can’t have. Anyway, an article in the July 22, 2008 issue of Neurology Today indicate that Topamax may cause birth defects. It concentrates on women who take Topamax during pregnancy instead of any long term results.
With or Without Valproic Acid?
One thing that’s not clear yet is that the birth defects may not come from just taking Topamax during pregnancy. It could be taking a combination of Topamax and valproic acid (valproate). It’s been known for a while that valproic acid can be repsonsible for birth defects (as well as liver failure, so you need to keep taking regular liver function checks when on valproic acid).
What Can A Pregnant Migraineur Do?
Topamax was originally developed to help manage epileptic seizures, so pregnant eplieptic women have a really bad choice to face. Of course, I could be flip here and say that ALL women could avoid this problem by not getting pregnant, but some omen really don’t have any choice in the matter. And then again, that instinctive drive to perpetuate the species can be annyingly persistant.
If youo have migraines and not epilepsy and take Topamax, then there are other drug choices available to you. Please don’t use this blog post as a substitute for your doctor’s advice. But here’s a short list of some drugs currently considered okay for pregnant women:
Hope this helps
August 31st, 2008 at 2:47 pm
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