Women face difficult choices when deciding whether or not to continue psychiatric medications during pregnancy. This choice can be especially difficult for women taking newer medications which lack adequate reproductive safety data. While we have [...]
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) just released a new report regarding the use of alcohol during pregnancy and the risk of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). Prenatal alcohol exposure can lead to a broad [...]
When we meet with women to discuss the reproductive safety of antidepressant medications, one of the most challenging and anxiety-provoking aspects of the consultation is the discussion we have regarding the long-term effects of prenatal [...]
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 [...]
We get many questions about the interaction between lamotrigine (Lamictal) and oral contraceptives (OCs). While many readers raise concerns that lamotrigine may decrease the effectiveness of oral contraceptives, the primary interaction is actually in [...]
Many pregnant women complain of “pregnancy brain”. They describe that they feel less sharp than usual and often complain of bouts of forgetfulness. Is it because they are distracted by thinking about and planning for [...]
With many states now moving forward with the legalization of medical marijuana, there seems to be a growing sense that marijuana is relatively safe and may, in some cases, be more attractive or effective than [...]
Transcranial magnetic stimulation or TMS is similar to ECT but uses electromagnetic pulses to generate electrical current in specific regions of the brain that are known to modulate mood. TMS is less likely to cause [...]
Topiramate (TPM, marketed as Topamax) is an antiepileptic drug which is also used for migraine prophylaxis, weight loss, and, less commonly, as a mood stabilizer. Over the last few years we have seen several studies [...]
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Committee on Obstetric Practice recently published a revised opinion on screening for perinatal depression, recommending that “clinicians screen patients at least once during the perinatal period for [...]
