Medication use in the perinatal period

When you’re pregnant or caring for a new baby, you may need to take medications to treat a range of conditions, from your physical to mental health.

For example, taking medication for nausea and gestational diabetes is common during pregnancy. Many new birth parents also take medication during birth recovery, such as pain relief, and some may take medication to support lactation if they’re breastfeeding.

Sometimes you may need to take medication for your mental health as well. A health professional such as your doctor, obstetrician, psychologist or psychiatrist, may recommend that you consider taking medication to treat symptoms of anxiety, depression or a different mental health concern.

You may wonder about side effects from medication, either for yourself or your baby. This is a common concern during pregnancy and for parents who are breastfeeding.

Maybe you’ve never taken medication for your mental health before or haven’t had a positive experience previously. You may also feel aware of different opinions regarding medications for mental health in your social or cultural group.

Often, it’s seen as perfectly acceptable to take medications for a physical condition, like a headache or diabetes, but sometimes you may find there is less understanding around treating mental health with medication. At PANDA, we know that taking care of your mental health is every bit as important as treating any physical health conditions.

It can feel incredibly challenging to manage parenting when you’re also trying to cope with changes to your mental health that are affecting your daily function.

There are a range of treatment options available for supporting your mental health and wellbeing, including counselling and medication. We know from decades of research that there are many medications used to treat mental health during pregnancy (and after having a baby) that are safe to take due to their low risk profile in terms of transmission (either to your unborn baby or via breastmilk transfer).

We do not provide specific medication advice on the PANDA Helpline – but we do provide a space for you to talk through your options, thoughts and feelings about taking medication.

We can also help you link to services that provide advice about medication use during pregnancy and after your baby is born. We encourage you to talk to your doctor for information and advice about medication including any vitamins/supplements or herbal preparations you are taking so that they can assess any risk of interaction. Some specialist medication advice services are also listed at the bottom of this page.

It’s important you feel informed, confident and comfortable about any medication you are taking.