Antiepileptic Drugs During Pregnancy: Pharmacokinetics and Transplacental Transfer

Title: Antiepileptic Drugs During Pregnancy: Pharmacokinetics and Transplacental Transfer

Volume: 12 Issue: 5

Author(s): Marco De Santis, Carmen De Luca, Ilenia Mappa, Elena Cesari, Tomasella Quattrocchi, Terryann Spagnuolo, Daniela Visconti and Alessandro Caruso

Affiliation:

Keywords: Antiepileptic drugs, epilepsy, pharmacokinetics, placenta, placental transfer, pregnancy, teratology, mood disorders, congenital malformations, development disorders, polypharmacy and valproic acid, Neural tube defects, transplacental transport

Abstract: Epilepsy represents the most common maternal neurological disorder requiring continuous treatment during pregnancy. Maintaining optimum seizure control is an important objective in pregnancy, and the majority of women with epilepsy will need to continue antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). AEDs are frequently used to treat several other conditions, such as headaches and mood disorders. They have been associated with an increased risk of congenital malformations, minor anomalies, congenital syndrome and development disorders. This risk seems to be higher among women using polypharmacy and valproic acid. Neural tube defects are associated with valproic acid and carbamazepine exposure. New AEDs seem to have a less teratogenic effect, but human experience is still limited. The purpose of this review is to provide an update on AED exposure in pregnancy, focusing on pharmacokinetics and transplacental transport.

Cite this article as:

De Santis Marco, De Luca Carmen, Mappa Ilenia, Cesari Elena, Quattrocchi Tomasella, Spagnuolo Terryann, Visconti Daniela and Caruso Alessandro, Antiepileptic Drugs During Pregnancy: Pharmacokinetics and Transplacental Transfer, Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology 2011; 12 (5) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/138920111795470958