Posts Tagged ‘ Paxil birth defects ’

Questions about Antidepressants and Pregnancy

January 14th, 2011. By AbiK

There’s a lot in the news about pregnancy and antidepressants (SSRI’s in particular—and especially Paxil, which has a Category D rating by the FDA). And we get a lot of comments and emails from readers who are either looking for information about SSRI drugs and pregnancy—or who share their stories about negative side effects they’ve experienced while taking antidepressants.

It’s a tough call—particularly when depression and pregnancy are not exactly mutually exclusive of each other. As any mom will tell you—even the ones who “just love being a mom!” and “always wanted to have at least 4 kids!”—you know who I mean—there are moments when you’re exhausted, down, emotionally drained. For many, it’s a circumstantial situation that, given a few hours, some diversions, or a good workout, tends to go away and resolve on its own. But not for everyone. And that’s where depression medication comes into play. Bottom line, it’s no accident that “Peanut Butter, Playdates & Prozac” became a popular read…

We publish a lot of information at LawyersandSettlements to help readers understand what’s going on with antidepressant lawsuits. But we also post background information as well—and for those of you who’ve written in requesting information about antidepressants and pregnancy, I’ve pulled some of our informative posts. Here they are:

Paxil Birth Defects: Baby Beware! A look at Paxil, pregnancy and depression

Antidepressant Guide: the Brands, the Generics & Who Makes Them List of antidepressant brand names and the names of their generic equivalents, and their manufacturers

Antidepressants: Know what they’re Winding you Up With Information about antidepressant drug classifications–the “umbrella” categories that antidepressant drugs fall into: SSRI, SNRI, NDRI, MAOI, and Tricyclics.

Having a Baby? Get to Know the FDA Drug Classifications Information about FDA pregnancy ratings for drugs. (Category A, Category B, Category C, Category D, and Category X—the system in which Paxil has been classified as Category D; and antidepressants like Effexor and Celexa are Category C. For those wondering, the Prozac pregnancy rating and the Zoloft pregnancy rating are both Category C at present as well).

Mom Alert: Would you want a 68% Higher Risk of Miscarriage? Study showing high rate of SSRI miscarriage risk—as well as SNRI and Tricyclic risk. Study looked at citalopram, fluoxetine, fluvoxa-mine, paroxetine, sertraline, ami-triptyline, clomipramine, desipramine, doxepin, imipramine, nortriptyline, trimipramine, venlafaxine, serotonin modulators, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, tetracyclic piperazino-azepines, and dopamine and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors.

Hope this info helps—but remember, please consult your physician for medical advice about your particular situation—only your doctor(s) can advise and treat you. If you need legal help…that’s another story…

Tags: Antidepressant, paxil, Paxil birth defects, paxil-heart-defects-newborn, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Cateogory, prozac-birth-defects-lung-heart, prozac-heart-birth-defect, SNRI, SSRI, ssri_birth_defects, zoloft-heart-birth-defect, zoloft-lung-heart-birth-defects
Posted in Drugs/Medical, Emerging Issues | 2 Comments »

Paxil Birth Defects: Baby Beware!

July 20th, 2009. By LucyC

 

Depression during pregnancy is a health risk not only for the mother, but also for her baby, yet it’s not widely publicized.  According to information on the March of Dimes website—the March of Dimes being a leading non-profit organization for pregnancy and baby health—two of every 10 women experience symptoms of depression during pregnancy. That’s considerable.

So where’s the health risk to the baby? You get a prescription for an antidepressant and hope for the best, right? Wrong. The fallback treatment for depression has become antidepressant drugs, the most common type being selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs. SSRIs, such as Paxil (paroxetine) which are associated with serious cardiovascular malformations, primarily ventricular septal defects (VSDs) and atrial septal defects (ASDs). The risk for these birth defects is so serious that GlaxoSmithKline’s (the maker of Paxil) own publicly available literature states:

For women who intend to become pregnant or are in their first trimester of pregnancy, paroxetine should only be used after consideration of the other available treatment options. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: paxil, Paxil birth defects
Posted in Drugs/Medical, Personal Injury | No Comments »