Links between antipsychotics in pregnancy and harmful outcomes for baby may be influenced by mother's lifestyle

This NIHR funded study found that antipsychotic use during pregnancy was not associated with worse child outcomes after poorer health and riskier lifestyles were taken into account. For pregnant women these were things like other medications, obesity, smoking, alcohol and taking illicit drugs. The study also provides further evidence against the use of valproate during pregnancy for epilepsy, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia because of the increased risk of poor outcomes for the child. The risk was double that of taking the alternatives, lamotrigine or carbamazapine during pregnancy. Mental health problems can become worse during pregnancy or in the period after giving birth. The results of this well conducted study should help inform the difficult decisions of whether to continue, change or stop taking psychotropic drugs during pregnancy, though the reliability of the results is limited by the designs.
Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH) - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news