Lamotrigine or Lamictal – as an anticonvulsory medication, has its benefits, which to an epileptic patient are a godsend. Having the potential to affect people of both genders, anticonvulsory medications such as Lamictal have the potential to cause harm to their patients, namely women – more specifically pregnant women. Pregnant women taking Lamictal are warned beforehand to help determine what the proper course of action to take is.

Pregnant women who experience epilepsy are urged to take Lamictal, which is classified as a Pregnancy Category C medication. What this indicates to pregnant women is that there are risks carried with taking Lamictal during the course of pregnancy and breastfeeding, but the benefits of taking the medicine outweigh the risks associated with it.

As with most medications, there are complications associated with taking Lamictal, which are carried on even after birth. For example, babies born to women taking Lamictal have a higher probability of being born with an oral cleft, palate, or both. Another attribute that babies born to mothers taking antiepileptic medication is that the child will be born with lower blood clotting capabilities. While there are methods to prevent this, it indicates that there are a host of undesired effects that Lamotrigine has on children.

While the mother continues to take Lamotrigine, a considerable amount of the drug passes through the mother’s breast milk into the baby – nearly half of the drug’s potency. This is not to be confused with cessation of breastfeeding, since breastfeeding benefits also outweigh the immediate cessation of Lamotrigine.

If you feel that your child may have been born with a birth defect due to the effects of Lamictal, call the experts at Wormington & Bollinger to schedule an appointment with the strong team of attorneys. We will fight to earn every cent that you are owed for you and your child’s sake.