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Topamax is the name of an epilepsy drug that may increase the risk of babies being born with birth defects.
The drug is used to help control seizures and migraines, and has received a category C classification for use during a woman’s pregnancy. This means that it has not been studied for use in pregnant women.
Irish researchers studied the effect of Topamax in 203 pregnant women. They noted spontaneous abortions in 18 women, 2 stillbirths and 5 abortions. Furthermore, 16 babies were born with major birth defects.
Out of the 16 babies with severe birth defects, 3 of their mothers were taking Topamax and the other mothers were taking Topamax as well as other medications.
“More research needs to be done to confirm these results, especially since it was a small study. But these results should also get the attention of women with migraine and their doctors, since topiramate is also used for preventing migraine, which is an even more common condition that also occurs frequently in women of childbearing age,” the researchers stated.
The study is published in the July 22 issue of the journal Neurology.
