If you take medicine for your mental health and are pregnant or could become pregnant, it is important to talk with your health care provider.
Some medicines may not be safe for your baby during pregnancy or while you are trying to get pregnant. However, stopping or changing your medicine without talking to your health care provider is also unsafe for you and your baby.
Whether you are already pregnant or planning to be, your health care provider can help you make the safest choices for you and your baby’s health.
References
- Treatment and Management of Mental Health Conditions During Pregnancy and Postpartum: ACOG Clinical Practice Guideline No. 5. Obstet Gynecol. 2023;141(6):1262-1288. DOI: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000005202. PubMed PMID: 37486661.
- Research CfDEa. FDA drug safety communication: Risk of oral clefts in children born to mothers taking topamax (topiramate). FDA. 2019. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-drug-safety-communication-risk-oral-clefts-children-born-mothers-taking-topamax-topiramate. Accessed Sep 16, 2025.
- Bérard A, Iessa N, Chaabane S, Muanda FT, Boukhris T, Zhao J‐P. The risk of major cardiac malformations associated with paroxetine use during the first trimester of pregnancy: a systematic review and meta‐analysis. Brit J Clin Pharma. 2016;81(4):589- 604. DOI: 10.1111/bcp.12849.
- Opioid use and opioid use disorder in pregnancy https://www.acog.org/clinical/clinical-guidance/committee-opinion/articles/2017/08/opioid-use-and-opioid-use-disorder-in-pregnancy. Accessed Sep 11, 2025.
- Pregnancy & medications - MGH center for women's mental health. 2007. https://womensmentalhealth.org/specialty-clinics/pregnancy-medications/. Accessed Sep 16, 2025.
- Edinoff AN, Silverblatt NS, Vervaeke HE, et al. Hyperprolactinemia, clinical considerations, and infertility in women on antipsychotic medications. Psychopharmacol Bull. 2021;51(2):131–148. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8146565/. Accessed Sep 20, 2025.