Olanzapine/other antipsychotics during pregnancy

[NMG1991]

Hi All,

Thank you again for answering previous questions and for being so open and honest.

I had another question please ❤️.

Have you had a baby whilst on Olanzapine or any other antipsychotic? What mg were you on and did Baby have any withdrawals from it once they arrived? Especially those who didn't breastfeed to pass Olanzapine through the breast milk and those who eventually stopped breastfeeding - after you stopped breastfeeding were there withdrawals of any kind?

I want another baby and am wondering if I could do this whilst still on Olanzapine. I'm worried about the Baby having withdrawals and not being able to sleep long periods without it as I find myself when I tried to come off it - I had insomnia and also worried about complications as the Baby grows.

Thank you

N x

[Maria_at_APP Moderator]

Hi NMG1991,

Medication with pregnancy and breastfeeding is such an important topic and I found I had the most questions around that when I was planning my second pregnancy. I can only speak from my own experience, but I found the leaflets for medication on the bumps website very useful:

medicinesinpregnancy.org/

I went on to take olanzapine in the last 2 weeks of pregnancy at 2.5 mg, it was increased to 5 mg after birth. My son did not experience withdrawal symptoms after being born, but that was a risk so we stayed longer in hospital for his observations. I was doing combination feeding for the first couple of months, it amounted to 1 bottle a day and the rest breast feeding on demand. When I weaned him off breastmilk I did notice him wanting 2 bottles during the night rather than the 1 he was doing previously, but that's still within the normal range for a newborn. His weight gain continued the same trend as before.

Whatever your decision is at the end it helps to be well informed and gather different experiences and knowledge from others as well as taking into account the guidance of the team following you.

Take good care, all the best in your journey

Maria

[MotherOfBears]

hello

I started taking Olanzapine when my son was two months old, and had no issues with breastfeeding. I was really reassured by the medical team that it was safe. When I eventually weaned him at 1yo, he was fine and did not experience any symptoms of withdrawal

Hope that helps