Antidepressants Two-Fold Risk To Babies In Pregnancy
SSRI Birth Defects Lawsuit News
- Bio-Hormone-Health
01/23/2012 - Pregnancy is when women are meant to bloom, and many do as the levels of progesterone rise. However for women who already have a history of depression and are taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as Paxil and Prozac, there is mounting evidence that they should be taken with extreme caution – if at all – during pregnancy because of the health risks they pose to their unborn babies.
The Two Major Risks To The Unborn Baby’s Health
The first was established in a Finnish study published in July 2011 which provided evidence that exposure to SSRIs in the first trimester of pregnancy increases the risk for major congenital anomalies, particularly heart problems.
Now a second risk of increased birth defects was revealed in January 2012 in a new study published online by the British Medical Journal. This revealed that women who take SSRIs during pregnancy are more likely to give birth to children with a very dangerous and serious condition — persistent pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in the lungs). This condition is caused by an increase in blood pressure in the lungs which leads to shortness of breath and other breathing difficulties. This is no minor problem, either, but a severe disease with strong links to heart failure.
The new study is a very large scale one undertaken by scientists at Karolinska Institute in Stockholm. They investigated 1.6 million births between 1996 and 2007 in five Nordic countries: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
They compared births from mothers who had taken anti-depressants in their pregnancy to those who had not, including women who had a previous psychiatric diagnosis but who did not take any antidepressant medication during their pregnancies.
Babies born to the women in the study were assessed after 33 weeks and they found that taking SSRIs appeared to clearly raise the risk of pulmonary persistent hypertension. That amounts to three babies with pulmonary persistent hypertension for every 1000 women taking SSRIs in early pregnancy and double that if the drugs were taken in late pregnancy.
That may not sound like a lot, but pulmonary persistent hypertension in a baby is a very serious disease and one that could be prevented by avoiding these drugs in pregnancy.
Help for Anxiety and Depression:
There are many natural approaches that can be tried including specific exercise, good nutrition, stress relief, yoga and much more. Dr Tony Coope has written an excellent series of articles on the depression that women can suffer after giving birth, including dealing with the mood swings that the sudden drop in progesterone can cause, and you can read part one at http://www.bio-hormone-health.com/2010/04/16/hormones-and-the-baby-blues-part-1/ and for information on the role of progesterone in helping to deal with anxiety and mood swings in menopause this article sheds some light on its role: http://www.bio-hormone-health.com/2010/12/08/bioidentical-hormones-for-anxiety-and-depression/
Under no circumstances should you discontinue taking any medication, including SSRI's, without first consulting with your doctor.
SSRI Side Effects Lawsuit - Paxil, Zoloft, Effexor Lawyer
If you or a loved one have experienced Paxil Side Effects, Zoloft Side Effects, or Effexor Side Effects such as birth defects or suicide you may be entitled to compensation. Contact the Paxil attorneys of Ennis & Ennis today for a free confidential case evaluation. Our on staff nurse and lawyers are standing by to answer any questions you may have regarding SSRI side effects, a possible Paxil class action lawsuit, or any other type of SSRI litigation. Call us toll-free at: 1.800.856.6405 or fill out the free case evaluation form on this page. |
