Are antidepressants safe during pregnancy?
Since their introduction, antidepressants, especially selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), were considered reasonably safe for pregnant women, even during the first three months, when the baby is most susceptible to problems.
But in 2005, the FDA warned that infants exposed to the SSRI paroxetine (Paxil) during the first three months of pregnancy had an increased risk of birth defects.
Drugs included in the SSRI class are:
- Prozac
- Zoloft
- Paxil
- Symbyax
- Celexa
- Cymbalta
- Effexor
- Lexapro
Now, researchers in California are saying children whose mothers use antidepressants during pregnancy may be more likely to develop autism than kids whose mothers do not.
In a study involving data on more than 1,800 children — fewer than 300 of whom had an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) — and their mothers, the scientists found that women who were prescribed drugs to treat depression in the year before giving birth were twice as likely to have children with an ASD, compared with women who did not take antidepressants. The risk was even greater for women who were prescribed the drugs in the first trimester: their children were nearly four times more likely to develop autism or a related disorder.
The study focused on the SSRIs Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft. These antidepressants work by increasing available levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin surrounding nerve cells in the brain, which helps boost mood.
Authors of the study say there is mounting evidence that serotonin may be linked to autism since children diagnosed with the disease tend to have higher levels of serotonin in their blood.
Studies in the New England Journal of Medicinehave also linked SSRIs to serious birth defects, including persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN).
The study found that women who took SSRIs during their third trimester were six times more likely to deliver babies born with PPHN—or to have babies that would develop primary pulmonary hypertension—than women who did not take SSRIs during their third trimester.
If you’re clinically depressed, it’s important to get the treatment you need. Talk to your doctor about treatment alternatives that are safe during pregnancy. If a loved one has been injured or died as a result of a birth injury, the South Carolina birth injury and wrongful death attorneys at the Strom Law Firm, LLC. may be able to help.
