// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
'Women feel guilt and anger and they want peace' - the epilepsy drug that harmed babies
Susan Jamison has severe seizures which are managed with sodium valproate
Pregnant women who took an epilepsy drug and say they were not warned of possible birth defects, feel a mix of "guilt" and "anger," one mother has said.
Sodium valproate, which is also used to treat bipolar disorder, external, can cause physical harm in the womb and children can be born with a cleft palete and spina bifida, external as well as neurodevelopmental disorders.
The medicine now carries warnings about use during pregnancy, but Susan Jamison, now 60, said she was not told about the possible consequences when she was expecting babies in 1990s.
A 2020 review recommended compensation to those affected, and a subsequent report in 2024 said there was an "urgent" need for redress for those harmed., external
Susan and Anna Jamison, from Belfast, want to see urgent action from the government on a redress scheme
When Susan Jamison was diagnosed with epilepsy as a teenager in 1986, sodium valproate felt like a lifeline.
"It was fantastic - I could carry on going to college, going out with my friends. The seizures stopped," she told BBC News NI.
When she moved to England, got married and became pregnant she asked her doctor if her medication would be an issue.
"I was told 'absolutely not'. He said: 'If you need any more as you're having extra seizures take some more'.