There is increasing awareness and knowledge as to the risks of anti-epileptic drugs, particularly when used in pregnancy. Yet managing the care of women with epilepsy is even more complicated and difficult. Retrospective pregnancy registers are providing more reliable information regarding teratogenicity but it takes time to acquire information for many of the newer anti-epileptic drugs. Retrospective and small prospective studies continue to raise concerns regarding developmental outcome. Sodium valproate is of particular concern in both regards, but it remains one of the most effective treatments for specific epilepsies. Finally, increasing numbers of women are treated with anti-epileptic drugs for conditions other than epilepsy such as bipolar effective disorders, migraine, and chronic pain.
This small book with its eye-catching title attempts to address the evidence that is currently available in a no-nonsense, easy-to-read format. Although it recognises the lack of information for women taking anti-epileptic drugs for medical conditions other than epilepsy, the focus is on women with epilepsy. The book is divided into 10 chapters. The first 2 cover general issues of diagnosis and of the anti-epileptic drugs themselves. The remaining chapters are women specific, covering adolescence, fertility and sexuality, contraception, pregnancy, motherhood, and the menopause. The format is clear and easy to read with useful key points at the end of each chapter.
A wide range of health professionals should find this book helpful, including General Practitioners, Neurologists who see patients with epilepsy but would not consider themselves Epileptologists, Specialist Epilepsy Nurses, Practice Nurses, and Midwives. Psychiatrists and those who work in headache and pain clinics should also read this book if only to alert themselves to the uncertain risks they are exposing their patients to when prescribing anti-epileptic drugs.
This book does not of course provide all the answers but it does comprehensively go through the issues and meets its promise to present the evidence currently available. For those who need more detail, it directs the reader to a comprehensive list of over ninety references. This is a helpful book for those who need a quick update on this important area.