While data linking pregnant women’s use of the antiseizure medication Topiramate – the primary drug in Topamax – and an increased risk of them giving birth to a child with a cleft lip or cleft palate continue to mount, a new study shows that taking other antiseizure medications may not present the same risk.
According to a recent WebMD report, a Danish study that will be released in the upcoming Journal of the American Medical Association surveyed 837,795 women who gave birth in Denmark between January 1996 and September 2008.
Of those, special focus was given to the 1,532 women who took at least one type of “second-generation” antiseizure drug during their first trimester – more than 1,000 took Lamictal, nearly 400 took Trileptal, about 100 took Topamax, and almost 60 each took either Neurontin or Keppra.
The study measured the percentages of women who took an antiseizure med and ended up giving birth to a child with a defect. In total, it found that, among other details, 4.6 percent of women who took Topamax gave birth to children with major birth defects. In comparison, only 3.7 to 4 percent of women who took Lamictal delivered babies with similar birth defects.
The percentage of women who took Topamax and gave birth to a child with a birth injury was also higher than the 3.2 percent of women who were exposed to any one of the drugs early in development and gave birth to a child with defects.
Regardless of which antiseizure drug was being taken, they all increased the likelihood of a birth defect occurring. Only 2.4 percent of women who took no antiseizure drugs gave birth to babies with birth defects.
If you or a loved one took an antiseizure drug such as Topamax while pregnant and proceeded to give birth to a baby with birth defects such as cleft lip or cleft palate, there may be legal action worth pursuing against the pharmaceutical company that manufactured it. Contact an attorney at Sokolove Law today to learn more about your legal options, and take the first steps to get the money you deserve.