Drug use and mental illness

If you take drugs regularly, it can be really hard to stop, but now that you are planning a pregnancy you have a big motivator to stop safely.

On this page

Recreational drugs 

Drug use and mental illness

Should I stop taking drugs before I get pregnant? 

What support can I get?

How do drugs affect a baby?

Will I be able to breastfeed?

Drugs, men and fertility

More information and support

Recreational drugs

Recreational drugs can harm your unborn baby. There’s lots of support to help you stop taking them.

First, if you are dependent on drugs or cannot control your drug intake, it will affect how well you are able to look after a child. That’s why it’s important that you get help before becoming pregnant if you can.

If you are already pregnant, be honest with health professionals, they can help you.

Telling health professionals about drug use can be tough. Fear of how they could react, worry about social services, anxiety and guilt can make it tempting to avoid thinking about it at all. But professionals are there to help and support you, not to judge you, and their support is going to be a huge help with quitting.

Drug use and mental illness

Many people with a mental illness also use recreational drugs. Taking drugs can make your mental illness symptoms worse and can affect how well your medication works.  

Getting help gives you a better chance of giving up drugs and getting successful treatment for your mental illness. You can speak about it to any health professional you see, such as your GP, mental health team or child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).  

Many people with mental illness who use drugs also experience domestic abuse. If someone at home shows controlling or abusive behaviour towards you, speak to a health professional or a domestic abuse advisor.

You can read more about relationship problems and domestic abuse here.

Should I stop taking drugs before I get pregnant?

Yes. If you take any recreational drugs the best thing you can do for yourself and your baby is to stop.

Using drugs such as cannabis and cocaine can cause fertility problems. This means that if you or your partner takes these drugs, you may find it harder to get pregnant.  

But some couples may still get pregnant very quickly, so it’s best to keep using contraception until you have stopped using drugs. Your doctor can give you advice about this if you need it.

It’s important to get advice and support before you start trying to give up drugs such as cocaine, heroin or other opiates. Withdrawal symptoms may not be safe for you or your baby.

Your GP can refer you to a specialist service, or you can find details of other organisations that can help you at the bottom of this page.

What support can I get?

There is a lot of support on offer. Be honest with your GP or mental health specialist about what drugs you’re taking, how often, and how you feel about this. Social services will also help co-ordinate support for you.

During pregnancy

You can talk to your healthcare team about your feelings and worries. They will work with you to help you have as healthy a pregnancy as possible. They can give you information on good oral hygiene, eating healthily, and giving up alcohol and smoking.

If you’re pregnant, you should be offered a referral to a specialist midwife or doctor who can give you advice and offer you regular appointments. If you don’t want to do this, they will still help you to cut down on drug use. They will also be able to tell you about local services that can help.

They will talk with you about your antenatal care, any extra appointments or scans that may be needed, as well as any extra support you and your baby might need after the birth. Health professionals will work with you to try to make sure your baby is safe and well when they’re born.

All of these things can reduce the chance of pregnancy problems. You can also ask for text message reminders and other practical help with getting to your appointments, such as transport.

If you’re pregnant and are taking opioids, such as morphine or codeine, your doctor may refer you to a team that specialises in mental health and substance misuse during pregnancy. They can help you to safely stop using drugs and will keep offering support to you after the pregnancy.

After the birth

After you've had your baby, your healthcare team will offer you talking therapies and support. If you stopped using drugs during pregnancy, but start again after your baby is born, there is a chance you could take too much by mistake. Your healthcare team can talk about this risk with you and help you avoid it.  

If you need practical help with housing or education for other children, you can ask your healthcare team to refer you to your local early help services.  

If you or your healthcare team feel you need more support with looking after your baby, social services will also get involved to help. Health professionals would speak to you about this first, unless they’re worried about your baby’s safety.

This doesn’t mean that your baby will be taken away from you. The social worker’s role involves making sure you have the support you need to be able to look after your baby.

You can read more about the role of social services here.  

How do drugs affect a baby?

Illegal and recreational drugs such as cannabis, ecstasy, cocaine and heroin can all have a serious effect on your baby if you use them during pregnancy.

The exact effects depend on the drug being used, but could include:

• abnormal physical development
• growth problems and low birth weight
• withdrawal symptoms after being born
• needing to spend time in hospital after the birth
• feeding problems
• seizures.

In later life, babies who were exposed to certain drugs in the womb can also have problems with behaviour, language, learning, social skills, attention and hyperactivity. They may also be more likely to use drugs themselves.

Some prescription drugs can also be harmful in pregnancy. If you take a mixture of drugs, whether legal or illegal, it may be more likely to harm you and your baby.

You can read more about certain drugs here, or ask your GP, midwife or one of the charities below about your own circumstances.

Your healthcare team will help you to give up. If they need to, they can prescribe other drugs, such as methadone, to help you stop using.  

Will I be able to breastfeed?

Some drugs cross into the breastmilk. If you use cocaine, crack cocaine, amphetamines or a high dose of benzodiazepines, talk to your doctor about the risks of breastfeeding.

If you’re using other drugs, you may be able to breastfeed. Your perinatal mental health team can give you advice on breastfeeding if you’re using drugs or alcohol.

Drugs, men and fertility

Drug use causes fertility problems in men. Cannabis, for example, can cause:

• low levels of testosterone
• problems with the quality of sperm
• difficulty having erections and sex
• being less able to produce sperm.

By giving up drugs, your partner will be helping you to give up too.

Read more about how alcohol and drugs affect fertility in men and women.

More information and support

Adfam works to improve life for families affected by drugs or alcohol.

The Breastfeeding Network provides a Drugs in Breastmilk Information Service.

Frank provides free, confidential advice about drug taking and gives information about local support services.

Use our planning for pregnancy tool to see more ways to get ready for a baby.