Abstract
Background
Long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics provide some advantages in treatment compliance of psychotic disorders. However, information about their effects during pregnancy is still very limited. We expose a clinical case of aripiprazole LAI use in a pregnant woman diagnosed of schizophrenia.
Methods
A non-systematic review using Pubmed was conducted using the following terms: schizophrenia, pregnancy, aripiprazole and aripiprazole LAI. A clinical record review was performed for the clinical case report.
Results
We report the case of a 30-year-old woman diagnosed of schizophrenia. She required several hospital admissions in the past because of the mental disorder and the lack of treatment adherence, what was the consequence of having no insight of illness and her pregnancy desires.
She was initially treated with risperidone, suffering from some adverse effects like prolactine elevation and amenorrhea. In the last hospital admission, she started treatment with aripiprazol 20mg, having a good tolerability and being finally changed into aripiprazole LAI 400mg/28days. No incidences were reported and stability was achieved.
After five months, she became pregnant and started being followed up in the Perinatal Mental Health Unit that belongs to the same hospital. The severity of the mental disorder and her stability at that moment made psychiatrists; obstetricians and patient decide to keep the antipsychotic treatment with subsequent appointments. The goal was to supervise psychopathology and blood tests during pregnancy.
Prolactine was in physiologic levels and there were no obstetric complications. She finally delivered at 41 gestational weeks to a 3465g baby girl (Apgar 1’: 9 Apgar 5’: 10). No neonatal complications were reported. The Stafford interview was also administered in order to explore her social, obstetric and psychological background as well as possible psychiatric complications due to pregnancy and puerperium. No psychiatric complications were reported. Postpartum Bounding Questionnaire was also administered. No bounding disorder was detected.
Discussion
Pregnancy and postpartum are periods that carry a high risk of illness onset or recurrence in women with severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia. Having a good control of the symptoms may prevent from risks to both patient and child, due to the important influence that exists on the development of the baby and the mother-infant relationship.
PATHOLOGICAL GAMBLING AND COMPULSIVE EATING ASSOCIATED WITH LONG-ACTING INJECTABLE ARIPIPRAZOLE: A CASE REPORT
