Psychotropic drugs in pregnancy

Abstract

According to the statistics, there is an increased number of pregnant women taking psychotropic medication. For each clinical decision, or change in therapy that affect women of reproductive age, one has to consider the available information on the reproductive safety of psychiatric drugs. Due to ethical considerations, there are no randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies, hence no unequivocal evidence addressing this topic. When used during pregnancy, there might be potential adverse effects of psychotropic drugs in regards to the following: teratogenicity, pregnancy outcome, obstetrical complications, neonatal toxicity and withdrawal syndrome, breastfeeding, and the offspring's long-term intellectual, behavioral, emotional development. After studying the specialized literature, this paper aims to help colleagues to make the best clinical recommendations for psychiatric patients who are either pregnant, or planning to become pregnant.