Paxil and Pregnancy: A Bad Mix
December 2006
If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, you may want to stay clear of the antidepressant drug Paxil, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. This warning comes a year after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and GlaxoSmithKline reclassified the antidepressant because studies of pregnant women showed a risk to the fetus.
Two studies of pregnant women taking Paxil during their first trimester showed that their babies had heart defects twice as high as what is considered normal. Taking antidepressants late in pregnancies also has been linked to short-term complications in newborns.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists believe the decision to treat pregnant women with antidepressants, or SSRIs, should be looked at on an individual basis. Sometimes the benfit outweighs the risk.
Other popular SSRIs include:
- Prozac
- Zoloft
- Lexapro
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Source: “Paxil, Pregnancy Don’t Mix, Docs Say.” The Associated Press.
November 30, 2006.
