Anti-seizure drug Lamotrigine showed lowest risk of neurodevelopmental issues in study of 3 million children

Press release issued: 15 November 2024

Children exposed to the anti-seizure drug lamotrigine during pregnancy were at no increased risk for autism or intellectual disability than those exposed to other anti-seizure medications, according to a new study on the use of eight different anti-seizure drugs published in Nature Communications today [15 November].

The study, led by researchers at the University of Bristol, Drexel’s Dornsife School of Public Health in the US and the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, used data from more than three million children from the UK and Sweden, including 17,495 who were exposed to anti-seizure medications during pregnancy.

The research also found children born to mothers who take anti-seizure medications to manage seizures and psychiatric conditions during pregnancy may face increased risks of neurodevelopmental conditions, such as autism, intellectual disability and ADHD. Children exposed to valproate, topiramate, and carbamazepine were linked to specific neurodevelopmental issues. However, the researchers caution that the absolute risk of neurodevelopmental outcomes in offspring is very low, regardless of the anti-seizure drug course of treatment.

Read the full University of Bristol news item

‘Antiseizure medication use during pregnancy and children’s neurodevelopmental outcomes’ by Paul Madley-Dowd et al. in Nature Communications [open access]