Use of Psychotropic Medication During Lactation in Postpartum Psychiatric Patients: Results from an 8-Year Clinical Sample

Objective:The aim of this study was to examine the lactation status and prevalence of use of psychotropic medications in perinatal psychiatric patients. Methods:Clinical data collated for a period of 8 years were retrospectively retrieved from patient registers. The sample included a total of 263 postpartum patients who were followed up for at least 4 weeks. Psychiatric diagnoses were ascertained by a structured clinical interview. Results:The most commonly administered psychotropic medications were paroxetine (43.3%), sertraline (31.9%), olanzapine (12.2%), and quetiapine (6.1%). Of the 242 patients who received psychotropic medication, 41 (16.9%) discontinued breastfeeding. The discontinuation in most cases was not due to psychiatrist's recommendation or adverse events due to medications. Conclusion:Paroxetine and sertraline are frequently used by postpartum psychiatric patients in our clinical sample. In addition, the results suggesting that most psychiatric patients included in this study can continue breastfeeding during pharmacotherapy should be confirmed by data derived from further clinical samples.