Reducing Your Anti-seizure Medication (ASM) Dosage After Childbirth
When you’re pregnant, your body may clear your anti-seizure medication (ASM) faster than it does normally. To maintain a consistent medication level for optimal seizure stability and control throughout your pregnancy, you will likely require a higher ASM dose. Despite the increased dose, your baby’s exposure to your medication remains at the same low level as before you were pregnant. After delivery, you will need to make a plan to decrease your dosage back to its pre-pregnancy amount.
Toxicity Risk & Tapering
Some people experience signs of toxicity such as vertigo, vomiting, blurry/double vision, and ataxia (losing your ability to control your body movements) when the blood levels of their medications are changing rapidly. If you encounter any of these symptoms, reach out to your doctor right away or call 911 if you feel your symptoms are severe.
Common Questions About Reducing Anti-seizure Medication Dosage After Pregnancy
Consult With Your Doctor
We understand that adjusting your medications throughout pregnancy and after delivery can feel like a lot, especially on top of taking care of a newborn. Your care team will help you develop a clear and manageable plan for your medication adjustments. You and your doctor can use this Anti-seizure Medication Tapering Schedule to help plan and track your medication changes.
Educating yourself on all that’s involved and ensuring you have a plan to safely reduce your ASM dosage after giving birth, can make things much easier, less stressful, and safer, for you and your baby.
Download our Postpartum and Epilepsy - Questions to Ask Your Doctors, and bring a copy to your appointments to help guide your conversations and get the answers you need.
You can also use the Epilepsy Foundation Seizure Diary to track your seizures and share the information with your doctor.
Reviewed by: Page Pennell, MD FAES, September 2023