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. Â
Dr. Lee S. Cohen, Director of the Ammon-Pinizzotto Center for Women's Mental Health at Massachusetts General Hospital, recently shared his insights on the long-term behavioral follow-up of children exposed to mood stabilizers and antidepressants with Ob.Gyn News on August 16,
This clinical cohort study showed no impact of prenatal lithium exposure on cognitive functioning in children 6 to 14 years of age.
The dosing of lithium presents certain challenges during pregnancy. During pregnancy, there is a physiologic increase in the glomerular filtration rate (GFR), which is a measure of how quickly the kidney clears renally excreted compounds, [...]
While the use of lithium has been in decline over the last 20 years, lithium continues to be a useful and highly effective mood stabilizer for women with bipolar disorder, especially those with a history [...]
While we have considerable data regarding the reproductive safety of antidepressants, including the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), most studies have focused on the prevalence of major malformations in children with prenatal exposure to [...]
While the use of lithium has been in decline over the last 20 years, lithium continues to be a useful and highly effective mood stabilizer for women with bipolar disorder. We have long been aware [...]
We have an abundance of articles which address the impact of psychotropic medications on pregnancy. Â Much less research, however, has focused on how pregnancy may affect how these medications work. Physiologic changes take place during [...]
 While we use lithium less commonly now than we have in the past, lithium is still one of the very best mood stabilizers we have.  And with regard to its reproductive safety, we have [...]
Lithium is one of the most effective treatments for patients with bipolar disorder. Â Its use, however, is limited by its potential for serious long-term adverse events, including renal, thyroid, and parathyroid dysfunction. A recent study [...]
