Drug therapy for pregnant women with epilepsy has changed markedly in recent years according to analysis of data from the Maternal Outcomes and Neurodevelopmental Effects of Antiepileptic Drugs (MONEAD) study.
- MONEAD, an NIH-funded, observational, multicenter study that looked at pregnancy outcomes in mothers and their children, included women ages 14-45 years and up to 20 weeks pregnant.
- Among 351 pregnant women with epilepsy enrolled in the study, 73.8% (259) were on monotherapy and 21.9% (77) on polytherapy; 4% were not taking an antiepileptic drug.
- Lamotrigine was the most popular drug in women on monotherapy, followed by levetiracetam, carbamazepine, zonisamide, oxcarbazepine, and topiramate.
- The most common polypharmacy regimen included lamotrigine and levetiracetam.
The researchers point out that these percentages only reflect drug usage in US tertiary epilepsy centers and may not indicate usage in community practice.
MONEAD Investigator Group. Changes in antiepileptic drug-prescribing patterns in pregnant women with epilepsy. Epilepsy Behav. 2018;84:10-14.
