Schizophrenia is a condition that is characterized by hallucinations, disorganized thoughts, weird behavior, and delusions. Factors such as heredity, chemistry in the brain, abnormal neurotransmitters, and abnormal brain functioning can cause schizophrenia. Among the factors causing schizophrenia, pregnancy and birth complications play a significant part.

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a condition that is characterized by hallucinations, disorganized thoughts, weird behavior, and delusions. Factors such as heredity, chemistry in the brain, abnormal neurotransmitters, and abnormal brain functioning can cause schizophrenia. Among the factors causing schizophrenia, pregnancy and birth complications play a significant part. Schizophrenia experienced during lactation comes in various symptoms like disorganized motor behavior; here, the mother can respond agitatedly and show useless movements. In hallucinations, the mother hears the voices and sees nonexisting people and objects. In the disorganized speech, the mother gives answers unrelated to what she is being asked. Sometimes the mother can go completely silent (Uguz et al., 2020). The mother may not be interested in what is happening to typical symptoms and even neglect personal hygiene. The mother may also experience delusions and see things that don’t exist, like, harassment. Schizophrenia during lactation is treatable with antipsychotic medication administration.

Schizophrenia in lactating mothers is diagnosed through the presence of signs such as hallucinations, delusions, and abnormal behavior. According to the mental disorder manual, these features should have occurred for six months. The doctors verify the presence of schizophrenia by the extent of these behaviors. Depending on the age and the effectiveness of medications, schizophrenia can be treated. Butyrophenones and phenothiazines are first-generation drugs, usually older drugs, and contain antipsychotic agents. The drugs treat hyperemesis condition gravidarum. The small composition of antipsychotic drugs that get to breast milk during lactation of not harmful to full-term grown babies. Electroconvulsive therapy can be administered to patients who do not respond to antipsychotic medication procedures.

Antipsychotic medication is necessary to treat schizophrenia during lactation as it helps to suppress the symptoms related to the disease. Treatment also helps the mother to be sober enough to give enough breast milk and take care of the baby when sober. Antipsychotic medication may cause risks like perinatal syndromes, neonatal toxicity, and neurobehavioral sequelae (Wang et al.2022). Neonatal toxicity newborn infection is caused by exposure to neonates, like components of antipsychotic drugs administered during lactation. In perinatal syndrome, antipsychotic drugs are recorded to affect the baby’s general health. Neurobehavioral sequelae, this is result in behavioral change as a result of damage to the brain. Gradual tapering procedures can reduce risks caused by antipsychotic drugs. Tapering occurs by reducing the amount taken by some amounts. This is done within a three to four months period. Tapering can be done by half or quarter reductions. Tapering helps in fighting the negative symptoms that may arise after stopping using the drugs.

Doctors should consider the kind of medication to administer during the maternal plasma lactation concentration. Breast milk is synthesized from the maternal plasm. Drugs that do not affect the maternal plasma are more appropriate to administer during lactation. The kind of medication administered during lactation should have a molecular weight of more than three hundred grams. Low molecular weight drugs get into breast milk due to their smaller particle sizes. Medication during lactation should involve drugs with high protein binding properties to prevent diffusion into breast milk. When medication is administered during lactation, the baby’s age is the point of consideration. Older infants have less sensitivity to medication than younger infants during lactation (Vastegen et al., 2019).

During lactation, some drugs are safe, while others are unsafe. Some drugs recommended during lactation are acetaminophen; this drug treats mild pains. The drug relieves antacids, heartburns, acid reflux, and indigestion. Corticosteroids are used to treat antiinflammation. Insulin lowers high potassium levels and is also used to treat diabetes: Ibuprofen, inflammations such as headaches, pain, and fever. Folic acid is essential in correcting a baby’s defects. Heparin and heart attacks are treated by heparin. Lidocaine treats ventricular tachycardia—Penicillin in treating syphilis, meningitis, throat infection, and hypersensitivity reactions. Salbutamol, airways tend to relax and open with its administration: thyroxine, measurement of T4 in blood.

Drugs and lactation are crucial considerations when considering the infant’s and the mother’s health. Several challenges may arise during lactation, such as schizophrenia. Schizophrenia can be treated using antipsychotic drugs (Sarker et al., 2019). The drugs are administered according to the doctor’s prescription. The drugs are essential as they reduce the symptoms associated with schizophrenia. The application treats risks associated with lactation drugs of gradual tapering.    Medication during lactation may affect the rate of milk production. Medication, too, can affect the baby and cause signs like diarrhea, vomiting, and withdrawal from breastfeeding. The mother should always follow the doctor’s prescription during lactation. The mother should forgo the drug if the need to take is not urgent to reduce drug exposure.

References

Sarker, G., Litwan, K., Kastli, R., & Peleg-Raibstein, D. (2019). Maternal overnutrition during critical developmental periods leads to different health adversities in the offspring: the relevance of obesity, addiction, and schizophrenia. Scientific reports, 9(1), 1-17.

Uguz, F., Kirkas, A., Aksoy, Z. K., & Yunden, S. (2020). Use of psychotropic medication during lactation in postpartum psychiatric patients: Results from an 8-year clinical sample. Breastfeeding Medicine, 15(8), 535-537.

Verstegen, R. H., & Ito, S. (2019). Drugs in lactation. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research, 45(3), 522-531.

Wang, W., Ding, Y., Li, J., Chen, Y., Liu, H., Tong, L., … & TianHao, B. A. O. (2022). Clozapine Induces Myocardial Inflammation Response Through Lactation Modification—Based on Novel Tree Shrew Models of Schizophrenia. Journal of comprehensive Molecular science and genetics, 1(1), 1-5.