The use of antidepressant drugs in pregnant women with epilepsy: A study from the Australian Pregnancy Register

Abstract

Objective: To study interactions between first-trimester exposure to antidepressant drugs (ADDs) and antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), and a history of clinical depression and/or anxiety, on pregnancy outcomes and seizure control in pregnant women with epilepsy (WWE). Methods: We examined data from the Australian Pregnancy Register of Antiepileptic Drugs in Pregnancy, collected from 1999 to 2016. The register is an observational, prospective database, from which this study retrospectively analyzed a cohort. Among the AED-exposed outcomes, comparisons were made among 3 exposure groups: (1) pregnancy outcomes with first-trimester exposure to ADDs; (2) outcomes with mothers diagnosed with depression ..