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Contraception and epilepsy

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Last updated 05 Jul 2010, review date due 05 Jul 2011

Introduction

The aim of these web pages is to explain how different methods of contraception may be affected by epilepsy or interact with anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs). This will let you know which methods of contraception may work for you. It’s advisable to discuss this information with your own doctor or staff at your local family planning clinic. They will give you more detailed advice about contraception that will suit you.

In this section

 

Acknowledgement
Epilepsy Action would like to thank Dr Naghme Adab, consultant neurologist at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, for reviewing this fact sheet before publication.

These pages are about contraception in the UK. If you are looking for information about contraception in another country, please contact your local epilepsy organisation.

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We can provide references and information on the source material we use to write our epilepsy advice and information pages. Please contact our Epilepsy Helpline by email at helpline@epilepsy.org.uk.
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Comments

Hello
I take Lamotringine 100mg twice a day now and i have tonic-clonic seizures, grand mal (during the sleep), and i also have this big problem about contraception. I used to take contraceptives but restarted my seizures, so now i don't take anything. What should i take? Is Depo-Provera the best one recommended? What else could i use?
Here nobody knows for sure, please help me.
Thank's!
k.

Submitted by karschti on 14 May, 2010 - 15:45.

Thank you very much

Very helpful. Particularly the information about getting blood tests to check the mini-pill's is working. Nice to have that bit of extra security.

Helen

Submitted by Helen on 9 May, 2010 - 21:04.

Hi Helen,
As you take lamotrigine, these types of contraception should work well for you:

- Condoms
- Contraceptive implants
- Depo-Provera contraceptive injections
- Diaphragms and caps
- Femidoms
- Noristerat contraceptive injections
- The coil
- The Mirena coil

You can find more detailed information about how these work on the NHS Choices website.

Research on a small group of women has shown that lamotrigine might make the mini-pill work less well than usual. If you choose to take the mini-pill, your doctor may advise you to use condoms as well, until they can be sure that the mini-pill would prevent you from getting pregnant. The doctor can check this by giving you blood tests at certain times of the month. The blood tests would show if the mini-pill has stopped you from ovulating (releasing an egg), which would mean that you can’t get pregnant.

Hope this helps

Amanda
Epilepsy Helpline Team

Submitted by Amanda@EpilepsyAction on 6 May, 2010 - 14:15.

Hi Helen
Like you I am on Keppra (1500mg twice/day) and Lamictal (200mg am, 200mg lunchtime & 300mg evening).

I am lucky to live in an area that has an epilepsy specalist dept within the local hospital and I have regular appts with a Epilepsy Specialist Nurse every few weeks. The nurse that I see also has Epilepsy and fully understands the disability which is a great help to me. When I spoke to her re contraception she was able to give me her personal advice as well as medical advice. She recommended the injection form of contraception and did explain that, although it is regularly given every 12 weeks, people with epilepsy should have the injection every 10 weeks. With this in mind, I spoke to my GP and he confirmed that the injection style would be best for me.,

I do hope this is of help to you and that you are able to make a confident choice.

Bye for now!
Jill

Submitted by Jill on 6 May, 2010 - 13:30.

Hi,
I'm currently taking Keppra (1000mg twice a day) and Lamictal (soon to be 100mg twice a day) for Complex Partial Seizure Epilepsy. I was wondering what you would recommend as the most effective form of contraception to use when taking these medications, as I am aware of the problems associated with taking Lamictal and the combined pill. There seems to be contradictory evidence when I have googled the possibility of taking the progesterone only pill- some saying it's ok, other sites saying they're unsure. Besides condoms what forms of contraception are effective when taking the above medication and are less likely to impact upon my current seizure control?

Help much appreciated

Thank you

Helen

Submitted by Helen on 1 May, 2010 - 18:09.

I have been taking Lamictal and Yasmin for some time. I decided to come off the pill last year. However I felt like I was going to have a seizure and the sensation would last an hour.
Only through going back on the pill (I self diagnosed why it might have happened but didn't understand why) and researching afterwards, I was horrifed to find out that by taking the Yasmin, it makes the AED less effective...thus, I am on a dose higher than necessary. The sensations I had, was a toxicity affect through an increase in AED in my bloodstream. I want to come off the pill, but I am now terrified to do so!
I would like to find other women who have gone through/going through the same stages. I have spoken to my neurologist about the above and unfortunately it's going to be "an experimental period" :(

Submitted by Emma K on 1 April, 2010 - 19:24.

Hi Louise

The Contraceptive implants (Implanon) will not interfere with your Tegretol. It is only when the implants are being used as a form of contraception, that you need to be aware the tegretol can lower the contraceptive effect of the implants. This is explained further above.

Regards

Diane
Epilepsy Action

Submitted by Diane@Epilepsy Action on 25 March, 2010 - 12:03.

Hi there,

I've been advised by some people that since i have heavy periods i would be best having the implant inserted into my arm as it will reduced them each time, I recently been having really heavy ones and the doctor thinks that due to the blood lose they could be linked to the seizures and fainted that has occured recently. Is there any info that i should know, I'm currently on Tegretol Retard 200mg tablets and would the inplant be ok to be inserted since im on them.

L

Submitted by Louise Marshall on 23 March, 2010 - 00:27.

I was just reading your page on women & epilepsy / contraception. It says that the Mirena Coil could be a suitable contraceptive for women taking enzyme inducing anti convulsants. I have a coil fitted and it is a non-hormonal coil (so this is not a Mirena coil). This is because the hormones in a Mirena coil would possibly interact with my medication and therefore be ineffective.
I could have been given duff advice, but through several years of trying hard not to get pregnant while on Topiramate (and now Keppra too) I thought I would share my experience.

Submitted by anna josie farnsworth on 2 September, 2009 - 21:45.