Antidepressants During Pregnancy Pose Low Risk To Unborn Baby, Study Finds

http://media.boston.cbslocal.com/CBSBOS_0206201517230400000AA.mp4 BOSTON (CBS) — In 2006, the FDA warned the public that the use of common antidepressants, like Prozac and Paxil, late in pregnancy could put a baby at risk for respiratory failure.  But a new study from a local hospital shows that risk may not really exist. The FDA advisory pointed to a single study showing a six-fold increased risk of a condition called persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn in women taking antidepressants. But a new large-scale study says the risk is negligible. Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital looked at 3.8 million pregnant women nationwide and found that those taking popular antidepressants, called SSRIs, did not appear to be at significantly increased risk of having a baby with pulmonary hypertension. “The risk increase of taking antidepressants late in pregnancy, if present, is much more modest than previous studies have found,” says Krista Huybrechts, PhD, an epidemiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “So for women with severe debilitating depression that is not responsive to other non-pharmacological treatments,” Huybrechts adds, “This should be reassuring information.” It’s certainly reassuring news for Dr. Katherine Economy, a maternal fetal medicine specialist at the Brigham who cares for many pregnant women on antidepressants. “They take them because they have a disease that impacts their daily life,” says Dr. Eco...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health Local News Syndicated Local Antidepressants Brigham And Womens CBS Boston Pregnancy Pregnant WBZ Source Type: news