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Drug Info

Can you take Latuda while pregnant?

There is very little data on Latuda use during pregnancy, which is why it’s important to consult a healthcare provider about whether to continue using it
Leandra Beabout
By | Oct. 22, 2024 Medically reviewed by Jessica Swirble, Pharm.D.
A pregnant person looking at their belly:" Can you take Latuda while pregnant?

Key takeaways

  • Additional information is needed to confirm whether Latuda (lurasidone) is safe while pregnant or breastfeeding. 

  • The use of Latuda during pregnancy should be a shared decision between a patient and healthcare providers who can determine whether the potential risks of fetal exposure outweigh the benefits of treatment.

  • Other antipsychotics have similar safety profiles to Latuda. Alternatives to Latuda and drugs in its class might not be as effective at treating your mood disorder.

In this article:

Adults with depression from bipolar disorder may be prescribed an antipsychotic called Latuda to help manage their symptoms. Latuda, the brand name for lurasidone, is also approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat schizophrenia in adults and adolescents ages 13 and older. 

If you’ve been prescribed Latuda and are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, you might wonder: Is Latuda safe during pregnancy? Unfortunately, Latuda has not been studied in pregnant women, so there are no definitive clinical guidelines for this situation. Below, we’ll cover what you need to know about Latuda and pregnancy, including safer alternatives for treating your mood disorder while pregnant. 

Can you take Latuda while pregnant?

Healthcare providers determine whether their patients should take Latuda on a case-by-case basis. There is a lack of data on the safety of Latuda during pregnancy. Some healthcare providers still prescribe Latuda to pregnant patients if they believe the benefits outweigh the risks. Others prefer to avoid this drug during pregnancy.

“Latuda is not recommended for use during pregnancy,” says Kecia Gaither, MD, double board-certified OB-GYN and the director of perinatal and maternal-fetal medicine at NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln in the Bronx, New York. She points to the prescribing information’s disclaimer, which states that newborns of mothers who used antipsychotic drugs during the third trimester of pregnancy have been reported to experience unusual trembling and withdrawal symptoms.

RELATED: Latuda withdrawal: What happens when you stop taking Latuda?

Still, when it comes to drug use during pregnancy, it’s important to seek medical advice on the risks versus benefits of stopping a medication that has been prescribed to treat a serious mental health condition. Latuda may present a risk to the developing fetus, but suicidal thoughts and psychosis present risks to both the mother and baby.

“If one of my patients taking lurasidone (Latuda) is pregnant, then the decision to continue treatment depends on factors like the diagnosis, its severity, past medications tried, and the patient’s preference,” says Sid Khurana, MD, a board-certified psychiatrist and medical director of outpatient services at Nevada Mental Health in Las Vegas.

What are the risks of taking Latuda while pregnant?

Aside from Latuda’s known side effects, there is no risk to a pregnant woman who continues taking this mood-stabilizing medication until delivery. Instead, says Dr. Khurana, there is a risk of relapse if a pregnant woman stops taking her medication. Research clearly links episodes of schizophrenia and bipolar depression with an increased risk of fetal distress and pregnancy complications. 

Risk to fetal development is less understood since there have been no controlled studies on Latuda use during pregnancy. “There is a low risk of the medication passing through the placenta to the fetus, which can result in detectable levels in the baby’s circulatory system,” Dr. Khurana says. 

RELATED: What you should know about taking medicine while pregnant

Suppose traces of lurasidone did make it into the infant’s bloodstream. In that case, your newborn is at risk of experiencing withdrawal symptoms “such as agitation, abnormal muscle tone, tremor, sleepiness, severe difficulty breathing and feeding issues,” he says.

Again, it is important to take a team approach to making decisions about how to manage bipolar depression or schizophrenia while pregnant. A pregnant person and their healthcare provider should work together to weigh the potential benefits against possible adverse effects.

Can you take Latuda while breastfeeding?

There is very little data on Latuda and lactation. No studies have been done. However, in a single case report of a breastfeeding mother who took lurasidone, there was no immediate effect on the infant.

Still, one report does not provide enough information to inform clinical guidelines. Dr. Gaither recommends that women avoid breastfeeding while taking Latuda since there is a possibility that the drug might pass into breast milk and impact the baby. 

The FDA’s official stance is that a breastfeeding mother should consult with a healthcare professional to determine if breastfeeding and Latuda use are a smart, safe combination. There are many factors to consider in this type of shared decision, including: 

  • The benefits of breastfeeding to the baby
  • The mother’s clinical need for Latuda
  • The potential risks of infant exposure to antipsychotic medication versus the risks of discontinuing mood disorder treatment 

What can I take instead of Latuda during pregnancy?

There are many mood disorder medications that can be taken instead of Latuda, but they are not necessarily safer to take while pregnant. In fact, Dr. Khurana says lurasidone is considered one of the safer medications in its class. He says that when you compare lurasidone to other atypical antipsychotics (known as second-generation antipsychotics), Latuda’s side effect list is no worse than the others. 

A population-based study from 2021 comparing the use of first-generation antipsychotics and second-generation antipsychotics during the first trimester of pregnancy found a similar rate of major congenital disabilities. Thus, swapping Latuda for a first-generation antipsychotic is no safer than continuing Latuda.

In 2008, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) published guidelines covering the use of several psychiatric medications during pregnancy. In the antipsychotic category, only Clozaril (clozapine) was listed as category B, defined as having “no evidence of risk in humans.” Latuda was not included in these guidelines, but all other antipsychotics on the list, including Zyprexa (olanzapine), were classified as category C drugs, meaning their risks cannot be ruled out. Research has since linked olanzapine to a risk of infant musculoskeletal malformation. 

Ultimately, it’s important to weigh the proven benefit of staying on Latuda with the potential risk to fetal development. “If the patient is doing well on Latuda and prefers to stay on it during pregnancy due to significant worsening of their condition without it, I recommend continuing Latuda,” Dr. Khurana says.