Short‐ and long‐term complications of in utero exposure to lamotrigine

SummaryAIM The present study evaluates the effect of antenatal lamotrigine exposure, on short and long term pediatric outcome. METHODS The study included the children of 83 epileptic women treated with lamotrigine during pregnancy, at a tertiary medical center between 2004-2014. All newborns were monitored for vital signs, congenital malformations and Finnegan score. In addition, the parents completed a questionnaire regarding child's development and health up to the age of 12 years. Results No major malformations were found in the newborns. None of the newborns had significant withdrawal symptoms by Finnegan score. The children were followed up to the age of 12 years (56.6% of the group 6-12 years at the time of evaluation). There were no significant findings in the incidence of neurodevelopmental disorders. Conclusions According to our experience, lamotrigine is generally safe for pregnancy use, associated with minimal short term complications with no long term effects on the outcome.