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Bipolar Disorder/bipolar and pregnancy

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Expert: - 3/7/2008


Question
I am currently taking 2.5mg of zyprexa and I'm 3 months pregnant, what are the risks? should I stop taking meds.
I've been on zyprexa on and off for 7 years now and bipolar since 94.

Answer
Hi Marilyn . . .

Some women have taken Zyprexa quite successfully during their pregnancy/ Other women have had problems and there are a few reports of difficulties in babies born to mother who took Zyprexa. Of course, there is no way to know if those difficulties were caused by the Zyprexa or would have happened even if Zyprexa was not taken.

I think you have to have a long talk with your psychiatrist about the advantages and disadvantages of staying on versus going off of the Zyprexa.

Best regards . . .
Ivan
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Ivan Goldberg, M.D.

Expertise

I am a psychiatrist/psychopharmacologist with many years of expereince in treating individuals with depressions, manic-depression (Bipolar Disorder), other mood disorders,. I am especially interested in the psychopharmacologic treatment of individuals with so called "treatment-resistant" syndromes.

Experience

I have been on the staff of the National Institute of Mental Health, Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. I am currently in full-time private practice in New York City.

A.B. Johns Hopkins University
M.D. N.Y.U. College of Medicine

I am the creator of Depression Central:http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.html

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