Acknowledgments

From: Exposure to Psychotropic Medications and Other Substances during Pregnancy and Lactation: A Handbook for Health Care Providers

Production of this handbook has been made possible through a financial contribution from Health Canada. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of Health Canada.

The partners

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Ontario is the largest addiction and mental health organization in North America, combining clinical care services, health promotion, education and research. CAMH produces resources—including online and classroom courses, workshops, seminars and publications—for front-line workers in addiction and mental health, for primary care providers, for helping professionals and for the general public. For more information about CAMH, visit www.camh.net.

The Motherisk Program at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto is a clinical, research and teaching program dedicated to antenatal drug, chemical and disease risk counselling. Created in 1985, Motherisk provides evidence-based information and guidance about the safety or risk to the developing fetus or infant of maternal exposure to drugs, chemicals, diseases, radiation and environmental agents. For more information about Motherisk, visit www.motherisk.org.

The contributors

Adrienne Einarson, RN, is an experienced nursing professional, with specialties in midwifery and psychiatry. An active member of Motherisk’s research team, Ms. Einarson’s main research interests are psychiatry, nausea and vomiting of pregnancy, and alternative medicine. She also conducts studies that examine the perception of risk and decision-making determinants regarding the use of drugs during pregnancy. She has published numerous papers in peer-reviewed journals in these areas, many on the safety of psychotropic drug use in pregnancy.

Meldon Kahan, MD, CCFP, FRCPC, is an associate professor and researcher in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Toronto. He is also medical director of the Addiction Medicine Service at St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Toronto, and an author and editor of two textbooks on addiction. Dr. Kahan is also a staff physician at CAMH.

Alice Ordean, MD, CCFP, MHSc, is medical director of the Toronto Centre for Substance Use in Pregnancy (T-CUP) and one of the few physicians in Ontario with expertise in both addiction and primary care obstetrics. She is also the physician representative on Pregnets, a prenatal smoking cessation project. Dr. Ordean has presented on many occasions to care providers at various hospitals and organizations, including the departments of obstetrics and gynecology at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Toronto East General Hospital and Trillium Health Centre, as well as the Toronto Children’s Aid Society and Toronto Public Health.

Kate Tschakovsky, MSW, RSW, has worked in a variety of community settings, including women’s shelters, programs for young offenders and prisons. At CAMH, she has been involved in a range of areas, including methadone treatment, women’s and youth programming and HIV services; she currently works in the Schizophrenia Program. Ms. Tschakovsky has written for and collaborated extensively on several treatment-related manuals and books. Her current interests are the evaluation and implementation of harm reduction strategies in addiction services, and concurrent disorders.

Wende Wood, RPh, BA, BSP, BCPP, is a psychiatric pharmacist registered through the Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties in the United States. She is the first person in Ontario and the 10th in Canada to achieve this designation. Ms. Wood is the Drug Information and Drug Use Evaluation Pharmacist at CAMH. She is widely published and frequently gives lectures and interviews across North America on psychiatric medications and substance use issues.

The reviewers

Special thanks to the following professionals who reviewed early versions or sections of this handbook and provided valuable insight and feedback: Heather Bennett, BPharm, PhD, Ontario; Yousef Botros, BScPhm, Ontario; Ariel Dalfen, MD, FRCPC, Ontario; Alicja Fishell, BSc, MD, FRCPC, Ontario; Jennifer Fitzpatrick, British Columbia; Gabriella Herr, BScN, RN(EC), PHCNP, MN, Ontario; Ryan Huffman, BA, Ontario; Tanya Kotowycz, BScPhm, Ontario; Ginny Lane, RD, Saskatchewan; Marielle Layton, MLIS, Alberta; Melody Mann, BA, BSW, Ontario; Kimberly McDougall, BScPhm, Alberta; Royanne Mitchell, RN, Ontario; Sridhar Nilam, MBBS, CCFP, CASAM, Ontario; Vinay Phokeo, BScPhm, MSc, Ontario; Nancy Poole, MA, PhD candidate, British Columbia; Brenda Stankiewicz, BScN, PHN, Ontario; Lucy Van Wyk, MSW, RSW, Ontario; Adil Virani, BScPhm, PharmD, FCSHP, British Columbia; Nese Yuksel, BScPhm, PharmD, Alberta.

We also thank members of the PRIMA National Committee: Ron Abrahams, MD, FCFP, British Columbia; Lisa Graves, MD, CCFP, Quebec; Georgia Hunt, MD, British Columbia; Meldon Kahan, MD, CCFP, FRCPC, Ontario; Lisa Lefebvre, MDCM, CCFP, Ontario; Margaret Leslie, DipCS, CPsychAssoc, Ontario; Nick Leyland, BSc, MD, FRCSC, FSOGC, Ontario; Deana Midmer, BScN, MEd, EdD, Ontario; Patricia Mousmanis, MD, CCFP, FCFP, Ontario; Alice Ordean, MD, CCFP, MHSc, Ontario; Sarah Payne, RN, MA, British Columbia; Melanie Smith, MA, Ontario.

Exposure to Psychotropic Medications and Other Substances during Pregnancy and Lactation: A Handbook for Health Care Providers

General issues and background

Psychotropic medications and other substances: Properties, effects and recommendations

Resources

Index of drugs

Acknowledgments

The partners

The contributors

The reviewers

Related Links