Psychopharmacology Are mood stabilizers harmful during pregnancy? a case report

Mood stabilizers are the major option in treatment of bipolar disorders (BD). However their usage during pregnancy and lactation period is still controversial. Herein we report a case treated with mood stabilizers during pregnancy. 33-year-old female patient was admitted to our psychiatry clinic at the 10th week of her pregnancy. She had had the diagnosis of bipolar disorder seven years ago. Her last relapse was 1.5 years before the admission and she was still on lithium and valproate combination treatment. The consultation to the obstetrics clinic was reported as no pathology in fetus. The patient is still being followed in our outpatient clinic and has reached 18th week of gestation without any abnormality. In the literature it is expressed that Li may slightly increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, however it may not increase the risk of major malformations. Neural tube defect is the most frequent terotegenic effect of valproate usage particularly in first three months. Our case may be an exception in which fetus were affected from pharmocotherapy.