(Part 1)
Well, one pre-school collection, lunch break and seizure later, I was off to pick up my new prescription. It was Clonazepam. And what does it say on the info sheet? "Do not breastfeed while taking Clonazepam." Well, that's just great then.
It's a tricky one. I'm fairly sure my GP would have told the neurologist that I was breastfeeding, as it was something that I made a point of telling him. But I don't know whether he did, and the neurologist decided that it will be okay because I'm taking a low dose; whether he told her, and she didn't notice it in the e-mail, or whether he simply forgot to mention it because the focus of his message was my high seizure frequency and the fact I won't be able to see a specialist for quite a while.
The info sheet states flatly that you should not breast feed while taking Clonazepam, but there is information about the drug online which says you should talk to your prescriber before taking in those circumstances. So, it could be any of the above scenarios, and I just don't know which. Given that I had another seizure today, it has put me in a bit of a fix.
Given that communicating with the neurologist would probably take a few days, my next step was calling the helpline that Epilepsy Action run. As ever, very helpful and friendly, and an absolutely minuscule wait for someone to pick up. I honestly can't recommend them enough if you have an epilepsy-related issue. The woman I spoke to wasn't able to give me a definitive answer as to whether it was safe or not, but she did give me the number for the UK pregnancy and epilepsy register, which will almost certainly prove a useful resource.
Unfortunately, when it comes to the risks associated with breastfeeding while on anti-epileptic drugs, it really is just a case of checking with doctors, as every case is different. What is a worthy risk for one person would not be justifiable for another. In my case, M is naturally feeding far less than she used to, and my seizure frequency is quite high. It could well be that given those specifics, the neurologist felt that taking the Clonazepam would be the best option. Either way, on the advice of the helpline (and, it must be said, W, who advised this from the start), I have now phoned my doctors' surgery, and am currently waiting for my GP to get back to me and confirm whether or not I have the go-ahead to take this medication.
Based on all that I have learned, I am hoping that I'll get the green light and be able to at least try the new tablets. Although, the list of possible side effects sounds remarkably like a description of me on a bad, seizure-filled day, so it might all become moot anyway.
Well, fingers crossed, eh?
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