New possible antidepressant risks reported

The topic of antidepressant use in pregnancy is hotly debated amongst researchers, but the latest research on the topic, published in the BMJ, has demonstrated that there may be a  link between the use of certain antidepressants in the first trimester of pregnancy and subsequent birth defects.

Researchers looked for any use of five SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) drugs in the medical history of 17952 mothers of infants with birth defects and 9857 mothers of infants without birth defects, identified through birth certificates or birth hospitals, with estimated dates of delivery between 1997 and 2009 in the United States.

The results found that the majority of these posed no increased risk but that two drugs, paroxetine (Paxil) and fluoxetine (Prozac) were linked with an increase in the risk of birth defects when used in early pregnancy.  The authors highlighted that the overall risks were still low but urged that more research should be directed to this topic and they suggested that these results should be used to guide clinical practice.

The research authors, led by Jennita Reefhuis from the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, said: “Continued scrutiny of the association between SSRIs and birth defects is warranted and additional studies of specific SSRI treatments during pregnancy are needed to enable women and their healthcare providers to make more informed decisions about treatment.”

To read the research see here

BMJ press release can be viewed here

A Guardian article on this topic may be viewed here