Psychotropics in pregnancy: weighing the risks

With increase in the use of newer psychotropics, there is a growing concern in relation to the teratogenicity. Unfortunately, it is not possible to carry out prospective studies in pregnant women and as a result physicians caring for such patients have to rely on case reports, case series, and retrospective studies. Available evidence shows that the safety of psychotropics in pregnancy is still unresolved and the decision to prescribe psychotropics in pregnancy should be taken in the light of severity of mental disease, and drugs should be prescribed only when the potential risk to the foetus from exposure is outweighed by the risk of untreated maternal disorder. In this review we discussed the current evidence of the teratogenic risks with psychotropic drugs commonly used to treat psychiatric disorders and also focused on decision making in such patients.