The American Psychiatric Association has printed an abstract of a research study about lithium use in pregnancy. Lithium is a mood-stabilizing drug often used as a treatment for bipolar disorder.
In the study, 183 women who used lithium to treat bipolar and 748 women who did not use lithium to treat bipolar participated as test subjects. The offspring of the participants were assessed for the study.
Ultimately, the women who used lithium had a higher chance of having an unhealthy baby, including cardiovascular anomalies.
What Problems Can Lithium Pose for Pregnant Mothers?
The participants in the test study that were exposed to lithium had a higher chance of the following conditions:
- 5 times the chance of miscarriage
- 7 times the chance of cardiovascular anomalies
- 14 percent chance of premature birth over the 6 percent chance for non-lithium-exposed participants
Other studies have also shown that Ebstein’s anomaly, a congenital heart defect, is also more likely to occur when lithium is used to treat a mother’s bipolar condition.
If you are considering having a baby, and if you are currently taking any mood-stabilizing drugs associated with lithium, then consult your physician to see if there may be some healthy and helpful alternatives to lithium.
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Source: http://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176%2Fappi.pn.2014.6a6
