My husband and I want to have a baby but not if it causes the baby to have birth defects. I take tegretol and nortriptyline. Anyone have advice or other meds that are safer?
There is a group called motherrisk. If you contact them they are the best resource on finding out if meds are safe or not.
Tegretol, I believe it is safe. My aunt was on it and my cousins are fine. I was on gabapentin instead because that was the only one my neurologist was sure was safe. With ANY meds (even tylenol) there is a risk but it's very minut and my neuro said she has had thousands of pregnant women on gaba for many reasons and ha not seen one injured baby.
I'm not sure about the nortriptyline.
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Which antidepressants are considered OK during pregnancy?
Generally, these antidepressants are an option during pregnancy:
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Tricyclic antidepressants. This class of medications includes amitriptyline and nortriptyline (Pamelor)."
From mayo clinic http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/pregnancy-week-by-week/in-depth/antidepressants/art-20046420
Okay one more post. LOL I found this info on Tegretol
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In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) assigns each medication to a "Pregnancy Category" according to whether it has been proven to be harmful in pregnancy. Carbamazepine is listed in Pregnancy Category D. This means that there is a risk to the baby, but the benefits may outweigh the risk for some women.
In fact, a large majority of women who use carbamazepine during pregnancy have normal, healthy babies. Certain types of defects are increased when carbamazepine is taken (especially during the first three months of pregnancy), but they are still relatively uncommon. The risk of defects is higher for women who take more than one seizure medicine and for women with a family history of birth defects.
All women of child bearing age should take at least 0.4 mg (400 mcg) of the vitamin called folic acid every day because it helps to prevent neural tube defects, the most common of which is spina bifida. These defects are more common in the babies of women who take carbamazepine during the first 4 to 6 weeks of pregnancy. Women with epilepsy taking any antiepileptic medication should take at least 1 mg of folic acid daily, though doctors may prescribe anywhere from 1-4 mg per day.
- See more at: http://epilepsy.med.nyu.edu/treatment/medications/carbamazepine-0#sthash.HAzuHxVp.dpuf
thank you for all the information :)
Hi poobie123 I just had a baby 6 days ago. I had to have a c-section because she was breech. But she came 1 day before my due date and 2 days before my scheduled c-section. I was on tegretol, amitriptyline, and gabapentin at the beginning but when I told my neurologist I was pregnant he had me discontinue all of them. When I had my first ultrasound at around 10 weeks I was in so much pain I couldn't even drink out of a straw without pain at like a level 10 (or a 15 lol) they had us meet with a specialist who informed us that amitriptyline hasn't shown negative effects in studies and she thought it to be safe. My neurologist wouldn't prescribe but my ob put me back on amitriptyline and Tylenol with codeine for breakthrough pain. It cut the pain back to a 5-6 and by third trimester 2-3. Besides being breached she's absolutely perfect. Weighed 7lbs10.9oz and was 19 1/4inches long. She passed all the tests so far and she's sleeping/eating on a regular schedule. I drank a lot of ensure because many days were still hard but also because my pain is always worse right before bed and when I wake up because I clench my teeth at night. Don't let tn prevent you from growing your family. I hope my story helps.
Hi! thank you so much for your response! Congratulations on your precious baby! What a blessing from God :) All the best to you. yes your story is helping me with this decision. I see my OB this friday and will discuss this all with her.
Hi!
I have atypical tn. No meds have ever worked for me, so I had no fear of that when our surprise bundle came along! I found out I was prego in July 2011. I was afraid bc I was already in such pain! I didn’t know how I deal with pregnancy & a new baby with constant pain. Something happened with my hormones, evidently, bc I stopped having pain while I was prego & the first several months of post-partum.
Hope my story helps you. With TN, I know there’s risks-so sorry you’re having to deal with this!
RE