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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.
Pregnant women carry a huge responsibility. Everything thing they do or ingest could potentially affect their unborn child. But when the mother is experiencing health problems that can be treated by medication, she has only to go by the advice of her doctor and the information provided by the drug company that makes the medication.
Men who take the antidepressant paroxetine (brand names Paxil or Seroxat) have an increased risk of abnormal sperm DNA that may make it more difficult for them to impregnate a woman, according to Health News Digest.
News of frustrating and sometimes serious side effects to antidepressants can be enough to motivate one to wean oneself off the medication. New reports show SSRIs have been linked to suicidal thoughts, a Parkinsons-like condition known as Tardive Dyskinesia, and serious birth defects in infants born to women who took SSRIs during pregnancy. But coming off antidepressants is not always easy and if done improperly can cause uncomfortable withdrawal effects, also known as SSRI discontinuation syndrome.
Years ago, it was thought that pregnancy protected women from depression, but researchers have since learned that being pregnant and recent childbirth may actually contribute to a woman’s depression, filling her with a range of emotions that make dealing with the symptoms of the condition even more difficult. According to the Mayo Clinic, an estimated 10 percent of women experience depression during pregnancy.
Women who have suffered from depression are more likely than women who have never suffered from the disorder to experience postpartum depression, according to the March of Dimes. Postpartum depression is a serious medical condition that goes beyond the so-called “baby blues.” Medical experts believe that a woman’s changing hormones following delivery may cause the disorder.
