For the review, the study team screened 441
studies for eligibility, reviewed 230 studies that satisfied their eligibility criteria and selected 12 studies, that
included a total of 37 patient case studies.
"This is a highly controversial topic, and
expert recommendations vary, but the truth is it's 2019, and we still don't
have the evidence to back up any of the fears about lithium use and
breastfeeding," said senior author Dr. Crystal Clark, assistant
professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences and obstetrics and gynecology
at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a practicing
Northwestern Medicine psychiatrist.
- More well-designed studies should be done in the
future to obtain clearer answers
- Until then the safety of continuing lithium in breastfeeding mothers and the potentially harmful effects on the baby must be reviewed on a case to case basis
"There are few absolutes when it comes to
managing illness while breastfeeding," Clark said. "It's not one size
fits all."
The study authors also feel that the stigma attached to
mental illness perhaps makes physicians reluctant to acknowledge the importance
of drug treatment for the overall health and mental well being of mothers with
mental illness.
In summary, more studies are needed to establish the safety
of breast milk in babies whose mothers are taking lithium for bipolar disorder.
Future Plans
Clark is planning future studies to examine the amount of
lithium in breast milk and how much lithium is actually ingested by babies and
the potential effects of lithium on development during childhood.
Reference :
- Risk-Benefit Assessment of Infant Exposure to Lithium through Breast Milk: A Systematic Review of the Literature - (https://doi.org/10.1080/09540261.2019.1586657)
Source: Medindia
