Essential Reads: Lithium and Pregnancy
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 [...]
Risk of Preterm Birth and Respiratory Distress in Pregnancies with Prenatal Exposure to Antidepressants
From the OptumLabs Data Warehouse, researchers identified 226,932 singleton deliveries. Cases of antidepressant exposure were defined as pregnancies with prescription claims for antidepressants submitted between the last menstrual period and 35 weeks’ gestation. To [...]
Maternal Anxiety and Adverse Perinatal Outcomes: Why We Need to Screen Women for Anxiety During Pregnancy
When providing information to patients regarding the use of medications during pregnancy, one key element of the decision-making process is an appraisal of the risks associated with untreated psychiatric illness in the mother. While there [...]
Lithium and Anticonvulsant Mood Stabilizers: No Higher Risk for Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes
For women with bipolar disorder, choosing whether to maintain or discontinue treatment with a mood stabilizer during pregnancy is challenging. This is a process which requires careful and thoughtful consideration, weighing the risk of adverse [...]
Opioid Exposure During Pregnancy, Long-Term Effects on Children’s Development
According to a recent analysis of national data by the Centers for Disease Control, the number of pregnant women with opioid use disorder (as documented at the time of delivery) more than quadrupled from 1999 [...]
Smoking During Pregnancy Not Associated with Severe Mental Illness in Offspring, But Other Risks Exist
Over the years, we have seen a number of research studies which suggested a link between maternal smoking during pregnancy and adverse psychiatric outcomes in offspring, including increased risk for bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity [...]
Many Pregnant Women Unaware of the Risks of Electronic Cigarettes
More and more people are using electronic cigarettes. While e-cigarettes are often touted as being safer than tobacco-containing cigarettes, there is fierce debate among experts as to whether this is actually the case. There is [...]
In Brief: Study Finds No Link Between Antipsychotics and Gestational Diabetes
Given the number of younger women using atypical antipsychotic medications, we need more accurate data regarding the reproductive safety of these medications. To better understand the link between antipsychotic medication and medical conditions associated with [...]
Meta-Analysis: Antipsychotics and Pregnancy Outcomes
Second-generation or “atypical” antipsychotics, such as olanzapine (Zyprexa), aripiprazole (Abilify), and risperidone (Risperdal), are used far more frequently than are the first-generation or “typical” antipsychotics, such as haloperidol (Haldol). This is largely because the newer [...]
You Asked: Is Duloxetine (Cymbalta) Safe To Use During Pregnancy?
You can find a more recent post on this topic here: Venlafaxine and Duloxetine: Pooled Analysis Shows No Increase in Risk of Malformations We receive a fair number of questions on the use of duloxetine [...]