Newborns May Suffer from Birth Defects When Mothers Take Paxil During Pregnancy
Neurotransmitters in the brain are affected by antidepressants that fall under Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI), a classification of drug that balances the chemicals in the brain. Many experts believe that depression is caused when these brain chemicals are imbalanced.
The FDA approved Paxil, an antidepressant manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline. The company says that 25% of individuals who take Paxil are women between 18 and 45 years of age. But there have been reports of this drug causing serious birth defects including heart defects and Paxil brain defects.
What does Paxil Treat?
Paxil and other known antidepressants are prescribed to patients who suffer from depression, obsessive compulsive disroder, panic disorder, mood disorders and other serious mental disorders. Paxil is the first ever medication to be approved for use to treat social anxiety disorder or SAD.
Why SSRIs such as Paxil Could be Dangerous
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reviewed studies that say that women who took Paxil during the first three months of their pregnancy were at least one and a half times more likely to have babies who suffer from birth defects. “Healthcare professionals are advised to carefully weigh the potential risks and benefits of using [Paxil] in women during pregnancy and to discuss these findings as well as treatment alternatives with their patients,” is what the FDA said in a news release made in 2005.
What are Paxil Birth Defects?
Some of the known birth defects that Paxil could cause are the following:
- heart defects
- developmental delay
- cleft lip
- premature birth
- gastrochisis abdominal hernia
- Paxil withdrawal
- cleft palate
- PPHN or persistent pulmonary hypertension
- craniosynostosis
- neural tube defects
- brain defects
- macrocephaly
- miscarriage
- spina bifida
- clubbed foot
In a statement made in Paxil’s website, it says, “Babies born to mothers who have taken antidepressants, including SSRIs such as Paxil, in the third trimester of pregnancy have reported complications, including difficulties with breathing, turning blue, seizures, changing body temperature, feeding problems, vomiting, low blood sugar, floppiness, stiffness, tremor, shakiness, irritability or constant crying. Tube feeding, help with breathing and longer hospitalization may be needed. There have also been reports of premature births in pregnant women exposed to SSRIs, including Paxil.”
Already classified as a pregnancy category D drug by the FDA which means that Paxil demonstrates a risk to the fetus through findings of studies, this antidepressant is prescribed with extreme caution to pregnant women. However, several have found themselves affected with the serious side effects and birth defects that are caused by taking this drug.