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If you are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant, check your medications, says March of Dimes’ deputy medical director Diane M. Ashton, MD, in a recent article in The Safety Report. Some prescription drugs can cause a host of problems for both the developing fetus and the mother, including miscarriage, low birth weight, premature labor, placental abruption, fetal death, and even material death.
Parents of children with birth defects who were exposed to the antidepressant Zoloft during gestation are suing the drug maker claiming the mothers took the antidepressant only because they believed it to be a safe medication to take during pregnancy.
Physicians in Australia are asking drug regulators to change the country’s system of medication warnings for pregnant women, arguing that the current system is confusing and scares women into not taking necessary medications during pregnancy.
More evidence supports the theory that exposure to a class of antidepressants during the first trimester of pregnancy increases the risk for major congenital anomalies, particularly cardiac defects. A Finnish study conducted by the Teratology Information Service at the Helsinki University Central Hospital confirms the results of other research showing increased risks for specific birth defects in fetuses exposed to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, during gestation.
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is setting aside another $3.5 billion to cover expenses linked to investigations over its antidepressant Paxil, and other medications. This brings the company’s reserve up to $6.4 billion for legal costs associated with its drugs.
Patients who take a blood thinning agent, such as aspirin, after suffering a heart attack who also take selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, are at increased risk for bleeding, according to a Canadian study. Both types of drugs have been associated with an increased risk of bleeding, but the new analysis shows that when the drugs are combined, patients increase their risk by 40 percent or more.
Studies helped persuade doctors that treating depression in pregnant women was important to the well-being of both the mother and the fetus. As a result, antidepressant use during pregnancy increased. But new research shows that treatment with certain antidepressants just before and just after delivery may actually negatively impact the baby’s brain circuitry.
When pharmaceutical companies receive reports that suggest a medication may cause birth defects, they should immediately inform the public. However, too often companies are swayed by rising profits and the fear of bad press and may withhold or cover up this information to protect themselves. It is the public that stands to suffer.
Did drug company Pfizer cover up evidence that its antidepressant Zoloft causes birth defects? Susan and James Hodge think so. Susan took Zoloft during her pregnancy and then delivered a baby who died 18 hours after birth from anencephaly, a neural tube birth defect in which a large portion of the brain is missing. The Hodges are suing Pfizer claiming the world’s largest drug company covered up studies that documented the drug was associated with the fatal side effect.
Weighing the risks and benefits of using antidepressants during pregnancy is a tough decision. For Taylor Harris, a freelance writer, she knew since she started on Paxil as a young college graduate that she would have to wean off the drug before getting pregnant. Her doctor said simply, “You won’t be able to take Paxil during your pregnancy. But don’t worry. I’m sure they’ll have something else by then.”
