This sheet is about exposure to loxapine in pregnancy and while breastfeeding. This information should not take the place of medical care and advice from your healthcare provider.
What is loxapine?
Loxapine is a medication that has been used to treat mental health conditions including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Some brand names for loxapine are Loxitaneâ and Adasuveâ.
Sometimes when people find out they are pregnant, they think about changing how they take their medication, or stopping their medication altogether. However, it is important to talk with your healthcare providers before making any changes to how you take this medication. Your healthcare providers can talk with you about the benefits of treating your condition and the risks of untreated illness during pregnancy. Some people may have a return of their symptoms (relapse) if they stop this medication during pregnancy.
I take loxapine. Can it make it harder for me to get pregnant?
In some people, loxapine may raise the levels of a hormone called prolactin. High levels of prolactin can stop ovulation (part of the menstrual cycle when an ovary releases an egg). This can make it harder to get pregnant.
Does taking loxapine increase the chance of miscarriage?
Miscarriage is common and can occur in any pregnancy for many different reasons. Studies have not been done to see if loxapine increases the chance of miscarriage. However, some mental health conditions may increase the chance of miscarriage. As there can be many causes of miscarriage, it is hard to know if a medication, the medical condition, or other factors are the cause of a miscarriage.
Does taking loxapine increase the chance of birth defects?
Every pregnancy starts out with a 3-5% chance of having a birth defect. This is called the background risk. Studies have not been done to see if loxapine increases the chance for birth defects above the background risk.
Does taking loxapine in pregnancy increase the chance of other pregnancy-related problems?
Studies have not been done to see if loxapine increases the chance for pregnancy-related problems such as preterm delivery (birth before week 37) or low birth weight (weighing less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces [2500 grams] at birth). Some mental health conditions may increase the chance of pregnancy-related problems.
I need to take loxapine throughout my entire pregnancy. Will it cause symptoms in my baby after birth?
The use of some medications similar to loxapine during pregnancy can cause temporary symptoms in newborns soon after birth. These symptoms are sometimes referred to as withdrawal. The symptoms can include too much or too little muscle tone (stiff or floppy), sleepiness, agitation (irritability), problems with breathing and feeding, or unusual muscle movements (tremors). Not all babies exposed to these medications will have these symptoms, and it is unknown if taking loxapine would cause these symptoms. It is important that your healthcare providers know you are taking loxapine so that if symptoms occur your baby can get the care that’s best for them.
Does taking loxapine in pregnancy affect future behavior or learning for the child?
Studies have not been done to see if loxapine can cause behavior or learning issues for the child.
Breastfeeding while taking loxapine:
It is not known how much loxapine gets into the breast milk or how it may affect a breastfeeding infant. The product label for loxapine recommends people who are breastfeeding not use this medication, if possible. But the benefits of using loxapine may outweigh possible risks. Your healthcare providers can talk with you about using loxapine and what treatment is best for you. If you take loxapine and suspect the baby has any symptoms such as sedation (extreme drowsiness), irritability, constipation, or tremors, contact the child’s healthcare provider. Be sure to talk to your healthcare provider about all your breastfeeding questions.
If a male takes loxapine, could it affect fertility (ability to get partner pregnant) or increase the chance of birth defects?
Using loxapine may raise a person’s levels of the hormone prolactin. This may affect fertility while they are taking the medication. In general, exposures that fathers or sperm donors have are unlikely to increase risks to a pregnancy. For more information, please see the MotherToBaby fact sheet Paternal Exposures at https://mothertobaby.org/fact-sheets/paternal-exposures-pregnancy/.
National Pregnancy Registry for Psychiatric Medications: There is a pregnancy registry for people who take psychiatric medications such as loxapine. For more information you can look at their website: https://womensmentalhealth.org/research/pregnancyregistry/.
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OTIS/MotherToBaby encourages inclusive and person-centered language. While our name still contains a reference to mothers, we are updating our resources with more inclusive terms. Use of the term mother or maternal refers to a person who is pregnant. Use of the term father or paternal refers to a person who contributes sperm.
