Maternal lamotrigine treatment and elevated neonatal gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase

Is breast-feeding of infants advisable for epileptic mothers taking antiepileptic drugs?

Epilepsy is a relatively common maternal complication affecting 0.3-0.5% of pregnant women. For most mothers with epilepsy, the use of antiepileptic drugs (AED) is unavoidable, even during pregnancy and lactation. Therefore, the fetus is indirectly exposed to AED via the placenta and breast milk. AED are also prescribed for female patients with other diseases, such as bipolar disorders. In clinical settings, physicians are frequently questioned whether or not women patients taking AED should breast-feed their offspring. Thus, it is necessary to establish an optimum AED regimen for women taking AED, in particular for those with epilepsy during pregnancy and lactation. In this article, we critically review the effects of AED on infants via breast milk and attempt to provide suggestions for clinicians regarding these effects during breast-feeding, based on the data of transplacental passage of AED, breast milk concentration/maternal serum concentration ratios, AED metabolism in infants and the effects of AED in breast milk on infants.

The International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) consensus guidelines for the safety monitoring of bipolar disorder treatments

OBJECTIVES

Safety monitoring is an important aspect of bipolar disorder treatment, as mood-stabilising medications have potentially serious side effects, some of which may also aggravate existing medical comorbidities. This paper sets out the International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD) guidelines for the safety monitoring of widely used agents in the treatment of bipolar disorder. These guidelines aim to provide recommendations that take into consideration the balance between safety and cost-effectiveness, to highlight iatrogenic and preventive clinical issues, and to facilitate the broad implementation of therapeutic safety monitoring as a standard component of treatment for bipolar disorder.

METHODS

These guidelines were developed by an ISBD workgroup, headed by the senior author (MB), through an iterative process of serial consensus-based revisions. After this, feedback from a multidisciplinary group of health professionals on the applicability of these guidelines was sought to develop the final recommendations.

RESULTS

General safety monitoring recommendations for all bipolar disorder patients receiving treatment and specific monitoring recommendations for individual agents are outlined.

CONCLUSIONS

These guidelines are derived from evolving and often indirect data, with minimal empirical cost-effectiveness data available to provide guidance. These guidelines will therefore need to be modified to adapt to different clinical settings and health resources. Clinical acumen and vigilance remain critical ingredients for safe treatment practice.