Resources

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

Motherisk

A clinical, research and teaching program dedicated to antenatal drug, chemical and disease risk counselling. Provides evidence-based teratogen information for health care professionals and updates on Motherisk’s continuing reproductive risk research. Offers pregnant, planning and breastfeeding women answers to questions about morning sickness and the risk or safety of medications, herbs, diseases, chemical exposures, radiation and environmental agents.

Website: www.motherisk.org

Alcohol and Substance Use Helpline

Offers information, counselling and referrals about the effects of alcohol and other substances to pregnant and breastfeeding women as well as their families and health care providers.

Tel.: 1 877 FAS-INFO (1 877 327-4636)

Website: www.motherisk.org/women/alcohol.jsp#one

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)

The largest addiction and mental health organization in North America, combining clinical care services, health promotion, education and research. Produces resources—including online and classroom courses, workshops, seminars and publications—for front-line workers in the fields of addiction and mental health, for primary care providers, for helping professionals and for the general public.

Website: www.camh.net

Addiction Clinical Consultation Services (ACCS)

A program serving health and social service professionals including physicians, nurses, psychologists, occupational health staff, social workers, correctional staff, addiction workers and others who work with clients who have alcohol or other substance use problems. Provides advice on the medical complications of alcohol and other drug use; management of clients with addiction problems; counselling for individuals, couples and families; alcohol and other drugs including tobacco, illegal drugs, and prescription and over-the-counter medications; drug interactions; and concurrent disorders.

Tel.: 1 888 720-ACCS (1 888 720-2227)

R. Samuel McLaughlin Addiction and Mental Health Information Centre

Supports Ontarians who find it difficult to access the mental health and addiction systems, in particular, those from diverse communities. Offers a toll-free information line and a telephone support line. Print material, recorded messages and web resources on mental health and substance use problems are available in 16 languages.

Tel.: 1 800 463-6273

E-mail: mclaughlininformation@camh.net

PRIMA (Pregnancy-Related Issues in the Management of Addictions)

Helps health professionals provide obstetric care for pregnant women and new mothers who use substances of abuse, and offers neonatal and pediatric care for children who were exposed to substances in utero. Provides information on the general care of women, including the initial clinical encounter, management of a medical emergency, approaches to care, follow-up visits, infectious diseases and drug toxicology testing.

Website: http://dfcm.utoronto.ca/research/prima/Home.html

Best Start

A maternal, newborn and early child development resource centre that supports service providers across Ontario working on health promotion initiatives to enhance the health of expectant and new parents, newborns and young children. Offers regional workshops and other training opportunities, produces resources to help service providers plan and deliver programs, provides consultations in English and French. Staff answer questions and connect providers with others working on similar initiatives.

Website: www.beststart.org

Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA)

Provides evidence-based information and advice aimed at reducing the health, social and economic harms associated with alcohol and other drug use. Dedicated to disseminating information, providing policy guidance, building partnerships and sharing treatment knowledge and best practices related to substance abuse issues, the ccsa works collaboratively with governments, researchers, enforcement agencies, treatment professionals and the private sector to achieve a balanced and holistic approach to addictions that will lead to a healthier and safer Canadian public.

Website: www.ccsa.ca/ccsa

Canadian Women’s Health Network (CWHN)

Builds links among researchers, clinicians, decision-makers, action networks, women, the public and the health care system, and aims to improve the health and lives of girls and women in Canada and the world by collecting, producing and sharing information, resources and strategies. Guided by a woman-centred, holistic vision of women’s health, cwhn respects the diverse realities of women’s lives and works to end discrimination based on gender, region, race, age, language, religion, sexual orientation or ability, as well as to change inequitable health policies and practices. cwhn functions in English and French, and provides access to health information, resources and research in other languages and alternative formats when possible.

Website: www.cwhn.ca

Healthy Babies

A Health Canada website providing information and tools to help health professionals and other care providers who deliver programs and services to parents and their children. Also provides information to parents on specific topics to reduce the risk of injury and illness and to promote the healthy development of their infants (e.g., how to make environments safer for children, how to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, why breastfeeding is best for babies and what helps to make breastfeeding a successful experience, how to protect infants from vaccine-preventable diseases).

Website: www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/babies-bebes/index_e.html

Pregnets

Aims to decrease the negative consequences of smoking and environmental tobacco smoke on the woman, fetus and child by encouraging health care providers to include brief cessation interventions in routine assessments and health care, and to refer clients who are pregnant or postpartum to existing smoking cessation resources in their community. Using a woman-centred model of care, Pregnets works to eliminate smoking in pregnant and postpartum women by increasing the capacity to quit and remain abstinent. Pregnets provides information on smoking cessation practices for pregnant and postpartum women, a toolkit for health care professionals, a printer-friendly Nicotine Dependency Test and an anonymous online discussion board.

Website: www.pregnets.org

Women for Sobriety (WFS)

Provides support for women trying to overcome alcoholism and other addictions. wfs developed the New Life Program, which encourages building on emotional and spiritual growth to develop a new lifestyle. The program can be used in women’s self-help groups as well as in hospitals, clinics, treatment facilities, women centres and wherever people with addiction problems are treated. wfs sets up self-help groups throughout the world, and produces and distributes resources written specifically for women.

Website: www.womenforsobriety.org

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