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This page is an AI-assisted Turkish summary of the study presented at the 26th World Congress of Psychiatry. The study belongs to the presenting authors; please refer to the original source when citing it.

SO458

Breastfeeding advice given to patients taking aripiprazole during pregnancy: a service evaluation

BREASTFEEDING ADVICE GIVEN TO PATIENTS TAKING ARIPIPRAZOLE ANTENATALLY: A SERVICE EVALUATION

Most women taking aripiprazole during pregnancy experienced reduced milk production, yet counselling about this risk was often absent or incomplete.

The study aimed to evaluate the infant feeding preferences and outcomes of women taking aripiprazole during pregnancy under Sussex Perinatal Mental Health Services (SPMHS), and to examine the extent of antenatal counselling about the effects of aripiprazole on breastfeeding and postpartum medication choices. In this retrospective service evaluation, the SPMHS caseload (2015 to 2026) was reviewed using a keyword search, identifying 168 women who had taken aripiprazole during pregnancy. The care plans of 61 patients who met the inclusion criteria were reviewed using a standardised template covering feeding preferences, advice provided, feeding outcomes and postpartum medication choices; descriptive statistical analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 30. Of the 61 patients, 38% had a diagnosis of bipolar affective disorder and 26% had experienced psychosis. In 43% of care plans, there was no documented discussion of the safety of aripiprazole during breastfeeding or its potential effects on lactation, while 23% stated only that it was safe during breastfeeding; the abstract reports that 26 plans contained no documentation and 14 contained incomplete advice. Seventy-seven per cent of women expressed a wish to breastfeed exclusively, but only 11% of these women were able to sustain this; of the 47 women who wished to breastfeed, 5 breastfed successfully and 14 switched to mixed feeding because of reduced milk production. Six patients switched from aripiprazole to another medication because of insufficient milk production, and 4 discontinued it for various reasons; nevertheless, 84% of patients continued aripiprazole regardless of feeding outcome. The findings are consistent with the existing literature on the prolactin-lowering effects of aripiprazole and highlight the need for comprehensive antenatal counselling and clinician training to reduce distress associated with unexpected breastfeeding difficulties and postpartum medication changes that could increase the risk of relapse.

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