Antidepressants and Birth Defects
Antidepressant Birth Defects
Birth defects have been linked to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants. Several studies from 2005 show that antidepressant drugs like Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, Effexor, Lexapro, Pristiq and Prozac doubled the risk of cardiac birth defects. Mothers who have taken antidepressant drugs during pregnancy have reported the following birth defects:
- Cardiac (heart) defects
- PPHN (Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn)
- Neural tube defects (brain and spinal cord)
- Craniosynostosis (skull defect)
- Infant omphalocele (abdominal wall defects)
- Clubfoot (one or both feet turn downward and inward)
- Anal atresia (complete or partial closure of the anus)
- Limb Defects
- Cleft lip and cleft palate
In The News
Levin Papantonio continues to evaluate cases involving the ingestion of Celexa, Lexapro, Paxil, Prozac, or Zoloft during pregnancy and resulting in children born with a heart, skull, facial, limb, neural tube, or lung defects.
Make sure you always review your drug labels as there is a warning that continuing to take birth control pills while pregnant may be harmful to the fetus. Thus, take close care if you believe you have been exposed to this recalled birth control pill and have a chance of becoming pregnant.
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm289770.htm
The FDA has approved a new pill after 43% of the 96 total patients locally advanced basal cell carcinoma experienced a complete or partial response.
Source:
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm289545.htm
A study of over 3000 women with polycystic ovary syndrome found an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes such as gestational diabetes, c-section birth, and other issues.
Studies question whether the use of anti-inflammatory drugs increase the risk of miscarriages or birth defects.
While the exact cause of autism disorders remains unknown, at least one study has shown that first trimester exposure to anti-depressants may moderately increase the risk of autism. Additionally, a recent study indicates that younger siblings of children with an autism disorder, especially males, run almost a 20% increased risk of a similar diagnosis.
A recent study finds that women who used antidepressant medications or experienced recurrent bouts with depression have a moderately increased risk of stroke.
Source http://stroke.ahajournals.org/content/early/2011/08/11/STROKEAHA.111.617043.abstract
Despite claims that Zoloft is indicated and effecitve in treating a wide variety of mood disorders, new studies show that there is no difference in the effectiveness between antidepressants and sugar pills in patients with Dementia.
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