[Wanderlust90]

Some may know I recently had a (trigger warning!) termination of pregnancy. Since then I have been very conflicted in my decision of having done so. I feel somewhat that it was rushed & I was pushed by my GP who informed me that any AED including Lamictal, which I take to prevent partial seizures & as a mood stabiliser, was dangerous in pregnancy. This was obviously an unplanned pregnancy & a shock as I also have multiple cysts on my ovaries & VERY irregular menstural cycles (but none of the other symptoms of PCOS thankfully). I did a lot of reading which was conflicting in regards to Lamictals pregnancy risk, & have done even more since. It would seem Lamictal is the least risky AED in pregnancy with many epileptics changing to this medication from more risky ones such as valporate during pregnancy. I think it was partly my presentation of fear & panic that led him to encourage a termination also along with the concern of increased seizures & mood episodes during pregnancy & after.

I've very seriously been considering becoming pregnant again (if I can!) in 12 months upon long discussion with my partner of 7 years who supports this. My hope would be that I can titrate off the Lamictal & continue only on Zoloft. I wish I had given myself more time to adjust to the shock before I went through with the procedure. I have an appointment with my neurologist in Feb to discuss this, I will also see my pdoc when I get an appointment.

My questions are has anyone else got any experience with titrating off Lamictal without moving to another mood stabiliser or AP?
Does anyone here have epilepsy or know someone who does who has been through pregnancy both on or off AEDs?

[zijax]

I was a mother long before I found out I even had Bipolar Disorder. I wasn't on meds. Had I known what I know now, I may have reconsidered having children. It is difficult at best to be a mother, let alone a bipolar mother. I am serious, it was the hardest thing I have ever done. I love my children and they are doing great but it was almost impossible at times for all of us. I also had addiction problems which multiplied the difficulty. If you struggle with that it makes it ten times worse. I'm just being real. Having children is wonderful and beautiful and life changeing but for a bipolar mom it can be overwhelming and near impossible. Sorry if I discouraged you, just wanted to share my experience.

[Moose72]

I went through all three of my pregnancies on Zoloft only. It seemed to go OK. But this was pre diagnosis too. After my last birth I had psychosis.

[Wanderlust90]

Originally Posted by zijax

I was a mother long before I found out I even had Bipolar Disorder. I wasn't on meds. Had I known what I know now, I may have reconsidered having children. It is difficult at best to be a mother, let alone a bipolar mother. I am serious, it was the hardest thing I have ever done. I love my children and they are doing great but it was almost impossible at times for all of us. I also had addiction problems which multiplied the difficulty. If you struggle with that it makes it ten times worse. I'm just being real. Having children is wonderful and beautiful and life changeing but for a bipolar mom it can be overwhelming and near impossible. Sorry if I discouraged you, just wanted to share my experience.

Not discouraging, thank you for sharing your experience. We have to be real about the effect of stress on our moods (especially if drug/alcohol use is our go to under stress, which admittedly I do do but haven't been for a while now).

I have been relatively stable for about 9 months now with Zoloft & have successfully come off my AP, replacing it with lamotrigine. Do I have bipolar? Was I just experiencing an agitated depression & anxiety? I don't know, these are questions that might be answered if/when I come off of lamotrigine but if I was to have a severe episode I would likely be reconsidering pregnancy.

[Diddy232]

I am a single mother of a 15 yr old daughter, I have to say it is so very difficult to be a mother, my mood changes at the drop of a hat, as a suggestion research the possibility of your child becoming bipolar, I do not know what the stats are.

[Moose72]

Originally Posted by Diddy232

I am a single mother of a 15 yr old daughter, I have to say it is so very difficult to be a mother, my mood changes at the drop of a hat, as a suggestion research the possibility of your child becoming bipolar, I do not know what the stats are.

I try not to worry about my kids becoming bipolar. Their primary dr knows that I'm bipolar so she can be on the lookout with them- at least until they move away.

[Unrigged64072835]

I'm mom to a 19 year old who has anxiety and depression. I was a single mom for most of her life. It was difficult--I was also in the military for a lot of it--but it was worth it. I'm proud of her and we still love each other, so that is cool.

[Eddiesmom]

I also was diagnosed bipolar rapid cycling after the birth of my second child, I didn't really want to have another one because I knew I couldn't handle it, although she was the easy baby. I had severe depression with my first and she cried night and day. I have had bipolar since I was 14 with borderline personality disorder. My oldest daughter has issues and I believe it is bipolar but I can't get her to go see someone, my second daughter seems ok but who knows it could rear it's ugly head . Just be on the lookout for symptoms after during and after birth and you will know!

[pirilin]

Hi W,

I was going to say getting off Lamictal was easy for me; until I saw the seizure situation. I did it 50mg a week. Last 50 mg in three weeks. I don't recommend anything in your case, since I know nothing about it. Good luck.