Topamax
According to information from a new study that was published in the Jan. 22 issue of The Lancet Neurology, kids born to mothers who took the anti-seizure medication valproate during pregnancy are more likely to have a lower IQ.
The study is also suggesting that the larger the dose that the mother takes of valproate, the lower her child’s IQ score would be. For the study, the researchers analyzed data collected from 305 pregnant women in the United States and the United Kingdom that took either valproate, carbamazepine, lamotrigine or phenytoin to prevent seizures. By the time the kids born to those women that took the valproate were 6, their IQs were as much as 10 points lower than the kids whose mothers took some other drug.
“These results build on our earlier work to show that valproate usage during pregnancy has a significant negative effect on children’s IQ, which lasts beyond their earliest years,” said study leader Kimford Meador, a professor in the neurology department at Emory University in Atlanta.
“IQ at age 6 is strongly predictive of adult IQ and school performance, so our research suggests that valproate use during pregnancy is likely to have long-term negative effects on a child’s IQ and other cognitive [mental] abilities,” Meador added in a journal news release.
One drug that wasn’t mentioned in the study is Topamax, which is commonly used to prevent seizures. Topamax has been proven dangerous to babies in-utero, as well; it has been linked to babies being born with birth defects, including PPHN, oral clefts, spina bifida and neural tube defects when the mothers take the pills while pregnant.
If your baby has suffered from birth defects after being exposed to Topamax in-utero, contact attorney Greg Jones today for a free consultation. I am experienced at fighting Topamax lawsuits and may be able to help you recover money for your child’s injury.
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