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Originally Posted by Twofish
can depakote cause thinking problems?
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In many forms, yes. A lot of the medications available to us typically cause problems with memory and awareness. Sometimes it only lasts until you adjust to your medication, sometimes it never leaves. From my understanding, side effects tend to vary by person.
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Do Epilepsy medications cause problems in reproduction?
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I don't believe it causes as many problems in the actual reproduction as I believe the medication(s) can cause harm to an unborn child (as with many medications). If you're looking into having children, it would be best to discuss this with your Neurologist in advance (planning the pregnancy would be best for you and child when you're on medication) so that he/she can alter any medications if need be.
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Reproduction
When a person with epilepsy thinks about having children, a natural question is whether the child could also have the condition. Some types of epilepsy are inherited and do tend to run in families. There is a higher risk of having a child with epilepsy if:
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one or both parents has epilepsy (the risk is higher if the mother has epilepsy)
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one or both parents has generalized epilepsy
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parents' seizures started early in life
Epilepsy can sometimes skip a generation.
To find out the risk of a prospective child having epilepsy, people with epilepsy can ask the epilepsy care team or their family physician to recommend them for genetic counselling. These specialists would study the person’s medical and family history, possibly request some laboratory tests, and calculate the risk for the person’s baby.
If a woman with epilepsy is considering having a baby, she should speak to her family physician and epilepsy care team about it before conceiving. They can give valuable advice about actions and precautions to take to ensure a safe pregnancy and a healthy baby.
Fertility
A number of studies have found that people with epilepsy seem to have fewer babies than people in the general population. There are probably several reasons for this:
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Social factors: People with epilepsy are less likely to marry and have children than people in the general population. This in turn may be partly related to problems with social development and poor self-esteem. In addition, people with epilepsy may face family or social pressure not to have children.
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Sexual factors: As described above, epilepsy and anti-epileptic drugs can interfere with sexual desire and arousal.
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Physical factors: Epilepsy and anti-epileptic drugs can interfere with fertility.
Women with epilepsy seem to be more likely to develop a condition called polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This condition raises testosterone levels, causes ovarian cysts, and can interfere with menstrual cycles and fertility. It is especially common in women who are taking valproate, and many of the symptoms can be reversed when the drug is stopped. This condition is also quite common in women without epilepsy.
One study looked at ovulation in women with temporal lobe epilepsy, with generalized epilepsy, and without epilepsy. Women with temporal lobe epilepsy were more than three times as likely to have a menstrual cycle in which no egg was released from the ovaries, compared with the other two groups. This could obviously reduce their fertility.
Epilepsy and certain anti-epileptic drugs may also cause problems with fertility in men, including lower testosterone levels and lower sperm count.
People who are experiencing problems with fertility should speak to their doctor, as treatments are available.
Pregnancy and childbirth
Epilepsy can affect pregnancy: both seizures and certain anti-epileptic drugs may harm the developing fetus. Pregnancy can also have an effect on epilepsy. Despite these risks, with expert medical care, over 90% of women with epilepsy can expect a safe pregnancy and a healthy baby.
Before pregnancy
A woman who is planning to have children should talk to her general physician and epilepsy care team, preferably before she conceives or at least as soon as she discovers she is pregnant. In some areas, there are obstetricians who have a special interest in caring for women with high-risk pregnancies. A family physician or neurologist can refer to this specialist.
The physician and the care team can inform the woman about any prospective problems and explain what to do to help ensure a safe pregnancy and a healthy child. They will discuss the following:
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the genetics of the woman's epilepsy syndrome and the chances that her baby will also have epilepsy
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the risks and benefits of prenatal screening tests
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care during pregnancy, including general health issues and vitamin supplementation
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the possible effects of anti-epileptic drugs on the baby
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labour and delivery
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breastfeeding
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child care and safety
Seizure control
Ideally, a woman with epilepsy should have complete seizure control before she becomes pregnant. Failing this, her seizures should be as well controlled as possible.
About one-third of women with epilepsy have an increase in the frequency of their seizures in pregnancy, for a variety of reasons:
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Their anti-epileptic drugs may not be absorbed into their bodies as well or may be processed more quickly.
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They may have vomiting during pregnancy, and therefore do not take in as much of their anti-epileptic drug as needed.
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They may have trouble sleeping, which can lower the seizure threshold.
If a woman is having more seizures, she should discuss this with her doctor. Her medication dose may need to be adjusted from time to time during the pregnancy. Uncontrolled seizures in pregnancy, especially tonic-clonic seizures and status epilepticus, can be very harmful to the mother and the baby. Tonic-clonic seizures reduce the mother's and baby's oxygen supply and can cause injury or miscarriage. Status epilepticus has been reported to result in the death of the fetus in up to 50% of cases.
Epilepsy, anti-epileptic drugs, and the risk of birth defects
Women with epilepsy are slightly more likely to have a baby with a birth defect than women without epilepsy. Most of this risk seems to be related to anti-epileptic drugs. Birth defects usually happen very early in the pregnancy, even before a woman knows she is pregnant. Certain drugs may increase the risk of:
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a deformity of the face called cleft lip
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a heart condition known as ventricular septal defect
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abnormalities in the development of the central nervous system, called neural tube defects
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minor abnormalities of the face and fingers
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Read more
HERE. This link will give you a LOT of information.
*Hugs*
-Ellie