Antidepressant Poses Risk To Unborn Baby

            A new study conducted by the University of California San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine in collaboration with Boston University’s Slone Epidemiology Center found that antidepressant drugs taken by a mother during pregnancy can put the unborn and newborn child at considerable risk.

            According to the 8 year study, women who take commonly available types of antidepressant drugs during the second half of their pregnancy are about six to twelve times more likely to give birth to a baby with a potentially fatal heart and lung condition called PPHN- Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn.  The risk increases from 1-2 in a thousand to 1 in a hundred.  PPHN kills up to 20% of babies who get it, and half the survivors are left with serious abnormalities. 

            The drugs referenced include Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil.  These all fall into the category of Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors or SSRIs.

            The lead author on the study is Christina Chambers, Ph.D., M.P.H., of the Departments of Pediatric and Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of California San Diego. 

            In an unrelated study done in Israel and published in the February 2, 2006 issue of the Archives Of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, it was determined that almost one-third of infants born to mothers using SSRI antidepressants at or near term experienced withdrawal symptoms known as Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome or NAS.  In other words these infants are subject to withdrawal symptoms.

            This syndrome is characterized by high-pitched crying, tremors, and sleep disturbances.

            The authors of the study also note, “The long-term effects of prolonged exposure to SSRIs, particularly in neonates who develop severe symptoms, have yet to be determined.”