Lamotrigine

Date: February 2025, Version 4.0

Quick read

Lamotrigine can be used during pregnancy if recommended by a specialist.

What is it?

Lamotrigine (Lamictal®) is a medicine used to treat epilepsy and bipolar disorder.

Benefits

What are the benefits of taking lamotrigine in pregnancy?

Lamotrigine prevents seizures and can help with the symptoms of bipolar disorder. It is important that both illnesses are well-controlled in pregnancy as they can be dangerous or even life-threatening if left untreated. Effective treatment of these conditions in pregnancy can also help ensure that you are well enough to look after your newborn baby.

Risks

Are there any risks of taking lamotrigine during pregnancy?

Lamotrigine is well-studied and is not known to harm your baby when used in pregnancy.

Babies exposed to lamotrigine around the time of delivery might have some withdrawal symptoms after birth. These can be treated if necessary and usually pass quickly.

If you are taking lamotrigine and are pregnant or planning a pregnancy you should be offered high-dose folic acid (5mg per day) by your doctor. This is because folic acid is important for your baby’s development and lamotrigine can affect folic acid levels.

Alternatives

Are there any alternatives to taking lamotrigine?

It’s unlikely, because the medicine you have been prescribed will be the best one to treat the type of epilepsy you have. There is a lot of evidence that lamotrigine is one of the safer anti-seizure medications.

If you are taking lamotrigine for bipolar disorder and it is working well, there is no reason to switch to a different medicine.

If you are planning a pregnancy, you should be offered an appointment with your specialist to determine whether lamotrigine is the most suitable medicine.

If you have an unplanned pregnancy while taking lamotrigine you should be reviewed as soon as possible by your GP or specialist.

No treatment

What if I prefer not to take medicines during pregnancy?

It is very important to take any medicines prescribed to treat epilepsy and bipolar disorder. These conditions can have a serious impact on your physical and mental health if you don’t take the drugs you have been prescribed.

Doctors will only prescribe medicines when absolutely necessary and will be happy to talk about any concerns that you might have.

Pregnant women should not stop or reduce the dose of lamotrigine unless this has been advised by their GP or specialist.

Will my baby need extra monitoring?

All pregnant women in the UK will be offered a very detailed anomaly scan at around 20 weeks of pregnancy as part of their routine antenatal care. No extra monitoring for major birth defects is required following lamotrigine use in pregnancy.

Are there any risks to my baby if the father has taken lamotrigine?

We would not expect any increased risk to your baby if the father takes lamotrigine.

Who can I talk to if I have questions?

If you have any questions regarding the information in this leaflet, please discuss them with your health care provider. They can access more detailed medical and scientific information from www.uktis.org.

How can I help to improve drug safety information for pregnant women in the future?

Our online reporting system (MyBump Portal) allows women who are currently pregnant to create a secure record of their pregnancy, collected through a series of questionnaires. You will be asked to enter information about your health, whether or not you take any medicines, your pregnancy outcome and your child's development. You can update your details at any time during pregnancy or afterwards. This information will help us better understand how medicines affect the health of pregnant women and their babies. Please visit the MyBump Portal to register.

General information
Sadly, miscarriage and birth defects can occur in any pregnancy.

Miscarriage occurs in about 1 in every 5 pregnancies, and 1 in every 40 babies are born with a birth defect. This is called the ‘background risk’ and happens whether medication is taken or not.

Most medicines cross the placenta and reach the baby. For many medications this is not a problem. However, some medicines can affect a baby’s growth and development.

If you take regular medication and are planning to conceive, you should discuss whether your medicine is safe to continue with your doctor/health care team before becoming pregnant. If you have an unplanned pregnancy while taking a medicine, you should tell your doctor as soon as possible.

If a new medicine is suggested for you during pregnancy, please make sure that the person prescribing it knows that you are pregnant. If you have any concerns about a medicine, you can check with your doctor, midwife or pharmacist.

Our Bumps information leaflets provide information about the effects of medicines in pregnancy so that you can decide, together with your healthcare provider, what is best for you and your baby.