Question
In February this year, the patient experienced a single epilepsy seizure in the middle of the night. After a detailed examination by the hospital, the results of the computerized tomography (CT) scan were normal. Since then, the patient has been taking medication to control the condition. Recently, the patient learned about an unexpected pregnancy and stopped taking antiepileptic drugs upon learning of it. The patient wants to ask the doctor whether this situation will affect the fetus.
Answer
Based on the patient’s description, antiepileptic drugs can indeed have an impact on the fetus. In this case, the patient should weigh the pros and cons on their own. If it’s an unexpected pregnancy and the patient was taking antiepileptic medications during pregnancy, it is recommended not to keep the child. The patient should consider pregnancy only after their epilepsy symptoms are under control and after one year has passed since stopping medication without recurrence. These are suggestions for the question “Will epilepsy affect children?” I hope this helps, and wish you health!