Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Children with Prenatal Exposure to Antiepileptic Drugs: A Systematic Review
A systematic review examines neurodevelopmental outcomes in children prenatally exposed to antiepileptic drugs.
Still Not Enough Data on the Reproductive Safety of Oxcarbazepine (Trileptal)
This meta-analysis is reassuring regarding risk for malformations in children exposed prenatally to oxcarbazepine; however, we still need more data to fully assess reproductive safety.
Essential Reads: Why Non-Randomized Studies Fall Short When Assessing Reproductive Safety
All of our information on the reproductive safety of medications comes from non-randomized studies. However, many of these studies fail to take into consideration other factors associated with maternal psychiatric illness which may also affect outcomes.
Essential Reads: Folic Acid, Neural Tube Defects, and Congenital Heart Defects
Despite the unequivocal benefits of folic acid supplementation and recommendations urging all women of reproductive age to take folic acid supplements, preconceptual use of folic acid has not increased substantially.
Prenatal Valproic Acid (Depakote) Exposure Increases Risk for Neurodevelopmental Disorders
While we have considerable information regarding the teratogenic risk associated with prenatal exposure to various antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), we have considerably less information on the impact of exposure to AEDs on behavioral outcomes in [...]
New (But Still Not Enough) Data on Modafinil and Pregnancy
Modafinil (brand name Provigil) is a wake-promoting agent which is used to treat sleepiness due to narcolepsy, shift work sleep disorder, or obstructive sleep apnea. It is also used in other settings, often in [...]
Assessing the Reproductive Safety of Antidepressants: Can Non-Randomized Studies Provide the Information We Need?
Perinatal psychiatry is a field in which we treat vulnerable patients, a mother and her child, where both the illness we are treating and the treatments we prescribe have the potential to affect the outcome. [...]
Another Study on Antidepressants and Birth Defects: Does it Change Our Decision-Making?
Prozac (fluoxetine) was the first SSRI or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. Since its release in 1988, we have been gathering data on the reproductive safety of fluoxetine and other SSRIs. Over the last 32 years, [...]
Hispanic Women at High Risk for Neural Tube Defects, May Not Have Adequate Dietary Folic Acid
Because folate deficiency in pregnant women has been associated with an increased risk of neural tube defects, including anencephaly and spina bifida, it is recommended that all women take folic acid supplements before and during [...]
Prenatal Antiepileptic Exposure Increases Risk for Malformations: Does High-Dose Folic Acid Reduce Risk?
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 [...]