Breastfeeding and seizure medication

[Guest guest]

Hi all....

I have a pregnant client who has been taking Keppra for 9 years (and is taking

it while pregnant.) Her MD told her that she will not be able to breastfeed

while taking the medication, yet another MD told her that she could. I looked

it up in Hale and it is classified as an L3, yet it seems like it is much more

risky to take while pregnant than while breastfeeding.

Who can I refer this mom to so she can get a definitive answer?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Warmly,

Robin Kaplan, M.Ed., IBCLC

San Diego Breastfeeding Center

www.sdbfc.com

[Guest guest]

It sounds like you just did! Give her the info from Hale. Beebe, M.Ed., RLC, IBCLC Lactation Consultant/Postpartum Doula www.second9months.comwww.facebook.com/thesecond9months--- Subject: Breastfeeding and

seizure medicationTo: Date: Monday, June 18, 2012, 9:01 PM

Hi all....

I have a pregnant client who has been taking Keppra for 9 years (and is taking it while pregnant.) Her MD told her that she will not be able to breastfeed while taking the medication, yet another MD told her that she could. I looked it up in Hale and it is classified as an L3, yet it seems like it is much more risky to take while pregnant than while breastfeeding.

Who can I refer this mom to so she can get a definitive answer?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Warmly,

Robin Kaplan, M.Ed., IBCLC

San Diego Breastfeeding Center

www.sdbfc.com

[Guest guest]

Have her call the Infant Risk Center.

Jan

Hi all....I have a pregnant client who has been taking Keppra for 9 years (and is taking it while pregnant.) Her MD told her that she will not be able to breastfeed while taking the medication, yet another MD told her that she could. I looked it up in Hale and it is classified as an L3, yet it seems like it is much more risky to take while pregnant than while breastfeeding.Who can I refer this mom to so she can get a definitive answer?Any advice would be greatly appreciated!Warmly,Robin Kaplan, M.Ed., IBCLCSan Diego Breastfeeding Centerwww.sdbfc.com

[Guest guest]

Robin,

If you have not used Dr Hale's InfantRisk website or called their hotline, now

seems like the perfect time to start! www.infantrisk.com

You can click on forums, and go to medications and breastfeeding mothers once

you have entered the forums. Once there, it is divided into subgroups such as

anticonvulsant's, antidepression agents, etc. If you click on anticonvulsant's,

there have been a handfull of questions asked about keppra already, with Dr

Hale's personal response.

And perhaps this would be a great time to give the mom a link to infantrisk.com,

or perhaps in your consult note to the doctor, you can mention that this is an

invaluable source for physicians to find evidence based answers to their

medication questions, and provide a link, or their number . A live

person will answer the call and look up the information for them. It is fabulous

for questions just like this one!

Hartfelder IBCLC, RLC

(by-the-by, in the forums, Dr Hale's posits that mom's who have been on Keppra

for a while, the baby should be about to tolerate it just fine, and no

recommendation to stop or change it.)

[Guest guest]

Karin Hardman, IBCLC

President, Utah Breastfeeding Coalition

Communication Skills Instructor, LLL of Utah

Belcantomom@...

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