Prozac: It causes heart abnormalities in the unborn child

27 November 2008

Expectant mothers who take antidepressants such as Prozac and Seroxat are far more likely to give birth to a baby with heart abnormalities, new research has discovered.

But the greatest at-risk group were mothers-to-be who smoked more than 10 cigarettes a day.

Researchers from the Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School in Jerusalem followed 724 pregnant women who were taking either Prozac or Seroxat during their first term, and compared them with 1467 women who were not taking the antidepressants.

Researchers discovered that the Prozac group was four times more likely to give birth to a baby with a heart abnormality, the Seroxat group was three times more likely, but the women who smoked increased their risk five times.

(Source: British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 2008: 66: 695-705).

Prozac: It causes heart abnormalities in the unborn child

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