Most doctors will recommend that women take as few prescription and over-the-counter drugs during pregnancy as possible. In the case of a woman who suffers from chronic depression or other depressive related mental illness discontinuing the use of an antidepressant may do more harm than good. Fortunately there are some types of depression medications that appear to be safe when taken in pregnancy as long as the mother and child are monitored closely.
Pregnancy Affects Depression and Depression Affects Pregnancy
The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota believes that pregnancy can affect women suffering from depression and depression can have effects on a pregnancy if left untreated.
Pregnancy hormones may make it more difficult for women to handle their depression if they are off of medication and send them into an even deeper depressed state.
Women who are severely depressed in pregnancy may not get the appropriate nutrition or sleep that they need to help their baby develop strong and healthy and help their bodies adjust to the physical demands of pregnancy. This can lead to complications in the pregnancy and possibly even lead to low birth weight babies.
What Antidepressants are Safest During Pregnancy?
Studies have been done to discover what effects individual antidepressants have on a developing fetus and if one or more can lead to serious birth defects. According to an article in the June 28, 2007 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine the following antidepressants have been shown to have to fewest effects on the baby:
- Prozac
- Paxil
- Celexa
- Zoloft
Risks of Taking Antidepressants During Pregnancy
According to WebMD babies who are born to mothers taking antidepressants during pregnancy are at a great risk of developing the following birth defects:
- Anencephaly - A neural tube that does not close in the womb
- Craniosynostosis - Bones in skull close too early and cause brain damage because the brain doesn't have enough room to grow
- Omphalocele - Abdominal organs protrude due to lack of muscle
These birth defects are very rare among mothers taking antidepressants but are associated with their usage.
Special Risk of Taking Paxil
The drug company Glaxo found that taking Paxil during pregnancy puts a baby at greater risk of being born with heart defects. They also found that babies born to mothers taking Paxil during pregnancy were twice as likely to develop birth defects as those whose mothers took other depression medications.
Special Risks of Taking Prozac
Prozac is considered relatively safe to take during pregnancy, but a mother who is planning on breastfeeding might want to consider taking another drug. Prozac has a longer half life than many antidepressants. Babies born to mothers who took the drug during pregnancy and continue to do so while breastfeeding may risk their babies having toxic levels in their blood.
Most physicians agree that when an expectant mother needs and antidepressant it is best to prescribe her one while pregnant than wait until the baby is born. Choosing the right antidepressant is something that the mother and physician should discuss and research to keep both the mother and baby healthy.
