Pregnant Mothers Taking Antidepressants May Risk Baby's Health

In recent years, women have been advised to avoid medications during pregnancy and while breastfeeding their infants; yet, at the same time, some conditions pregnant women suffer such as hypertension (high blood pressure), asthma, epilepsy and depression require long-term and continued medication management.
It appears as though pregnant women suffering from depression may be in a no-win situation because failure to manage depression with continued SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) medication may affect the health of both mother and child. SSRI's are designed to elevate the level of the neurotransmitter serotonin. A low level of serotonin is one of several neurochemical symptoms of depression. Low levels of serotonin can be caused by an anxiety disorder because serotonin is needed to metabolize stress hormones.
Persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) has been found in infants of mothers taking Zoloft (generic sertraline) during pregnancy. Infants born with PPHN have difficulty making the transition from breathing inside the womb to normal breathing after deliver and often require a ventilator due to respiratory failure. Research has found that SSRI's accumulate in the adult's lungs and serotonin can cause the proliferation of certain muscle cells. This may possibly explain the drug's effect on the fetus. Approximately 10-20% of babies born with this condition do not survive.
SSRI's have also been known to cause withdrawal symptoms in those who abruptly stop taking the drugs. Stopping these drugs is something that must be carefully monitored by a physician, and generally, tapering off of the drugs is recommended. Abruptly stopping the drugs may cause the infant to experience withdrawals symptoms such as tremors, high-pitched crying, sleep disturbances, and gastrointestinal problems. A shocking 13% of 60 newborns exposed to SSRI's showed severe symptoms of withdrawal upon birth.
In February 2006, the New England Journal of Medicine published a study indicating that mothers taking SSRI antidepressants after the 20th week of pregnancy were six times more likely to give birth to an infant with a serious hearth defect than mothers not taking SSRI antidepressants.
Depression is a serious illness that often carries with it an increased risk of suicide in the sufferer and should be treated by your doctor. For decades, SSRIs have helped thousands of men and women fight depression. However, the statistics clearly show that there are serious risks involved with taking SSRI medication during pregnancy.
If you or a loved one has suffered adverse side effects in St. Louis or anywhere in Missouri or Illinois due to SSRI medication, please contact the experienced Drug Recall Lawyers at Brown & Brown Attorneys at Law.