SSRI's and Pregnancy?

Question

I'm looking to talk to anyone who took an SSRI while pregnant. Which one did you take? How is your baby now?

Answer 1

Some people just dont know what they are talking about!!!! My sister took Zoloft while pregnant with both of her children due to clinical depression. She was not crazy and did not have any mental problems. Her children are fine and develpmentally normal. There is more risk to your child if you are depressed than there is if you are taking an SSRI. Speak to your doctor and ask your pharmacy for an literature they have.

Answer 2

Not taking any yet, but I'm 32 weeks pregnant and I've got a psych appt for Monday morning and I do plan on walking out of there with a prescription for either an SSRI or bupropion (Wellbutrin).

The only two antidepressants I know of that are Category B are a quadricyclic (I don't remember which) and bupropion. The SSRIs (except for Paxil, which is Cat D) are all Cat C. Basically, Cat B is drugs that appear safe during pregnancy, Cat C is unknown/not enough data, and Cat D is proven to not be safe. Now, Paxil has been proven to double the risk of heart defects during the first trimester (2% instead of 1%), and slightly increase the risk of other defects also (4% instead of 3%), but afaik is as safe as other SSRIs later in pregnancy. The other SSRIs appear safe except that they recommend reducing your usage 2 weeks before your due date because otherwise your baby might have some withdrawal problems. They also increase the risk of preterm birth, BUT depression itself increases the risk of preterm birth, so who knows whether it's because of the SSRI or because of the depression. Depending on how bad your depression is, being depressed could definitely be worse for your baby than taking some medication.

Do I recommend getting pregnant if you *know* you'll need antidepressants? NO. I'd strongly recommend trying to get some counseling first and learning to overcome your depression. But if you're already pregnant it's different, especially if you're through your first trimester already.

Btw... babies don't automatically make you happy/happier. If you're depressed and thinking about wanting a baby, consider getting a dog instead. Also, there's adoption and you can take as many antidepressants as you want while adopting without hurting the adoptee.

Answer 3

In my opinion people on SSRI's are not in a medical place to be procreating. Just like a woman with severe heart health issues cannot safely birth and raise a child, neither can a person suffering from the mental anguish which requires SSRI's for treatment. I do believe it is growing practice to couple this medication with birth control when possible, or atleast thats the trend I've noticed. Iam sure it aids in the treatment, and possibly its a precautionary measure.

We're not talking about normal run of the mill depression, these are serious break downs of the phsycosis.

Second, it is a nuero-inhibitor. I dont care what doctors "say" they have found during testing, its simply not going to by-pass the placenta and forming child.

Not a good mix either way. Ive had no personal experience with the medication and my children, although I believe Andrea Bates did, and that speaks volumes for both women and infants.

Answer 4

Taking any drug while pregnant is risky. Women are advised to stop drinking caffeine, so you can imagine what addictive drugs like an SSRI do to a baby.
Paxil has multi-million dollar lawsuits filed due to the birth defects it has caused. Other suits against similar drugs are sure to follow.