When you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant, always talk to your therapist about continuing your medication or not. It is best to tell your therapist about planning to become pregnant beforehand, so that possible changes to your medication can be planned at the right time.
Can you take antipsychotics during pregnancy?
Have you experienced before that your problems got worse in the period prior to your pregnancy? Then you are advised to keep taking antipsychotics before AND after your pregnancy. This way the risk of relapse and another psychosis can be prevented. However, not all antipsychotics can be taken during pregnancy, so always talk to your doctor first.
With breastfeeding, be careful what kind of antipsychotics you are using and talk about this to your doctor and obstetrician (midwife). Some medicines are known to be passed on to the child through breastfeeding. For a lot of medicines the advice is therefore to stop when breastfeeding. Never do this on your own, but talk to your doctor and obstetrician about the risks and ask for the support that you need.
External websites:
- Medline Plus Information about specific medicines and patient leaflet
- Mind.org on info about driving and medication
Prof. dr. Jim van Os, Chair Division Neuroscience, Utrecht University Medical Centre. Jim is also Visiting Professor of Psychiatric Epidemiology at the Institute of Psychiatry in London. Jim works at the interface of ‘hard’ brain science, health services research, art and subjective experiences of people with ‘lived experience’ in mental healthcare.
Jim has been appearing on the Thomson-Reuter Web of Science list of ‘most influential scientific minds of our time’ since 2014. In 2014 he published his book ‘Beyond DSM-5‘, and in 2016 the book ‘Good Mental Health Care’.
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