Is it safe to take mental health medicines during pregnancy and breastfeeding?
Mental health in pregnancy and after birth (SIGN)
Medicines can help your mental health during and after pregnancy, but you need to weigh up several things that may be in conflict with each other:
- taking some medicines may have risks for you and your baby
- if you stop taking your medication, or don't take is as prescribed, this could affect your condition and how you manage on a daily basis. It may also affect how you feel about your ability to bond with, and care for, you baby.
If possible, talk to a healthcare professional about your medication before becoming pregnant. If this is not possible, do not stop taking your medicines suddenly. Talk to a healthcare professional as soon as you know you are pregnant.
Your healthcare professional can discuss with you the benefits and risks to both you and your baby of taking or not taking medication during pregnancy and breastfeeding. With your consent, they may also include your partner and other key family members in the discussion.
If you are thinking of stopping or changing a medicine, your healthcare professional can discuss with you how likely it might be that your mental health symptoms will return. Your healthcare professional will work with you to agree a gradual step-by-step approach if you need to change or stop your medicine.
Sometimes your GP or maternity care professional will work with a psychiatrist or other specialists to get advice on which medicines would work best for you.
NHS inform website on mental health conditions, treatments and medications.
The BUMPS (Best Use of Medicine in Pregnancy Site) provides reliable, evidence-based information about using medicines in pregnancy, in the form of freely available patient information leaflets. You can register for the site to create your own BUMPS resource with medicines information specific to your needs.