Boston—Based on new research, pharmacists can provide some reassurance to pregnant women who require antipsychotic medication. A study of 1.3 million expectant mothers suggests antipsychotic medication early in pregnancy was not associated with a meaningful increase in the risk of birth defects, when other mitigating factors were considered, according to a report published online by JAMA Psychiatry. The Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School–led researchers caution, however, that the medication risperidone needs further research. The study team said it embarked on the trial because, while the use of antipsychotics during pregnancy is increasingly common, clinicians continue to have little information regarding the safety of those drugs on developing fetuses.

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