Pregabalin (marketed in the US as Lyrica) is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of epilepsy, fibromyalgia, and neuropathic pain. It is also used off-label to treat psychiatric disorders, most [...]
Neural tube defects are among the most common major congenital anomalies in the United States and are associated with significant disability and death. The risk of neural tube defects can be prevented with daily folic [...]
The CDC, the U.S. Public Health Service, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) all recommend that every woman of reproductive age get 400 micrograms (400 mcg) or 0.4 milligrams of folic acid [...]
The use of the newer “atypical” or second-generation antipsychotic agents continues to increase. These medications are used to treat a spectrum of psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, PTSD and anxiety disorders. Although [...]
In our community of perinatal psychiatrists, we have recently seen many questions regarding the use of folic acid supplementation in women taking lamotrigine (Lamictal). While all recognize that all women of childbearing age should receive [...]
Despite the increasing use of the newer “atypical” or second-generation antipsychotic agents to treat a spectrum of psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, PTSD and other anxiety disorders, we have relatively little data [...]
There have long been concerns regarding the use of the anticonvulsant valproate (Depakote) during pregnancy. First trimester use of valproate has been associated with a 3-5% risk of neural tube defects, as well as [...]
For women with mild to moderate attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, we typically recommend discontinuing medication and switching to a nonpharmacologic intervention. Although these women might experience some decrease in their level of functioning, they are [...]
Despite the increasing use of the newer “atypical” or second-generation antipsychotic agents to treat a spectrum of psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, PTSD and other anxiety disorders, we have relatively little data [...]
Over the last few years, several studies have suggested an increased risk of certain types of cardiovascular malformations in children exposed to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) during pregnancy. The first reports suggested a link [...]
