Pregnancy and Antidepressants
© mahalie
Pregnant women who experience psychotic episodes, have bipolar disorder, or who are suicidal or have a history of suicide attempts should not be taken off antidepressants.
That is the conclusion of a joint report from the American Psychiatric Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
The question remains however: are antidepressants safe for pregnant women?
For many the risks vs. benefits of continuing treatment are not clear.
"We know that untreated depression poses real risks to babies. That is not conjecture," Yale University School of Medicine ob-gyn Charles Lockwood, MD, tells WebMD. "We know much less about the risks associated with antidepressant use. It is clear that more study is needed."
According to one study, the rate of antidepressant use during pregnancy more than doubled between 1999 and 2003. The study found that in 2003, one in eight women took an antidepressant at some point during her pregnancy.
Greater use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants like Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft were largely responsible for the increase.
These drugs were generally considered safe for pregnant women at the time, but safety concerns soon emerged, especially regarding Paxil.
Separate studies from Sweden and the U.S. suggested an increased risk for congenital heart defects in babies born to women who took Paxil during pregnancy.
The reports led the FDA to issue an advisory in December 2005 warning about the potential risk based on early results of two studies.
But the joint panel found the evidence linking Paxil use during pregnancy to heart problems in newborns to be inconclusive.
Lockwood tells WebMD that if the risk is real, it is probably not limited to Paxil alone.
"It is very likely to be a class effect and not just this one drug," he says.
Gosh where will women put themselves? There is just no clear thing on this matter. However? If I am a woman on antidepressants? I will not get pregnant! At least until I'm off the drugs. But that's just me.
December 22nd, 2009 at 1:57 am
I really enjoyed reading your information, and I found it to be highly informative for pregnant women.Keep up the good job.