“Feb. 8, 2006 — Babies whose mothers took antidepressant drugs in the second half of pregnancy are six times more likely to have a rare but dangerous lung ailment, a new study suggests.
One study isn’t proof. But it’s strong evidence that taking SSRI antidepressants — such as Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil — carries an extra risk during pregnancy.
The risk is that the babies will have PPHN: persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn. Only one or two in a thousand babies get this, but it’s very serious. It kills about one in 10 babies who get it. In moderately severe cases, half the survivors suffer hearing loss or brain damage.
“We find these results very concerning,” Sandra L. Kweder, MD, deputy director of the FDA’s office of new drugs, said in an unusual, hastily called news conference. “We find the reported association of SSRI antidepressants with this very serious condition to be very worrisome.”
For more information about how to safely wean off of Anti-depressants, please go to Drug Awareness.
Please, for the sake of your unborn child, use natural means to deal with your depression!
Jenny Hatch
My favorite way to deal with my own depression has been flax seeds!