Essential Reads: Topiramate and Pregnancy (2021)
Multiple studies have associated first trimester exposure to topiramate with increased risk of oral clefts.
Essential Reads: SBIRT for Women with Alcohol and Drug Use During Pregnancy
Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment or SBIRT has been shown to be a quick and effective means of identifying and intervening with patients whose patterns of use put them at risk for, or who already have, substance-related health problems.
Essential Reads: Neurosteroids, Allopregnanolone and Vulnerability to Depression in Women
This article focuses on how GABA-ergic neurotransmitter systems may modulate the interaction between reproductive steroid and sex steroid systems, and sheds light on the role allopregnanolone may play in medicating vulnerability to depression.
Essential Reads: Zuranolone for Postpartum Depression
Zuranolone has antidepressant effects in women with severe PPD, observed as early as 3 days after initiation of treatment.
Essential Reads: Recognizing Postpartum Psychosis
Because postpartum psychosis is a relatively rare event, we do not have as much information on this illness as we have on postpartum depression. In addition, most of the literature we have on postpartum psychosis [...]
Essential Reads: A Clinical Guide for the Diagnosis and Treatment of PMDD
In an evidence-based review published in 2012, Laura Wakil, Samantha Meltzer-Brody, and Susan Girdler present a thorough review of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), reviewing its diagnosis and treatment options.
Essential Reads: Measuring the Impact of Antenatal Depression on the Fetal Brain Using Neuroimaging
Neuroimaging studies indicate that exposure to antenatal depression may determine risk for later neuropsychiatric illness in the child.
Essential Reads: Lithium and Breastfeeding
Because women with bipolar disorder are at high risk for relapse during the postpartum period, we typically recommend that women continue treatment with lithium throughout the postpartum period. While this intervention clearly decreases risk for postpartum psychiatric illness, the use of lithium while breastfeeding presents certain challenges.
Essential Reads: What is the Best Antidepressant to Use During Pregnancy?
The reality is that most of the antidepressants taken by women today are relatively safe and carry a very low risk to the developing fetus.
Essential Reads: Breastfeeding and ADHD Medications
Many women taking stimulants question whether it is safe to take these medications while breastfeeding.