SSRIs: Antidepressants are linked to birth abnormalities
Pregnant women who are taking an SSRI antidepressant such as Prozac double the risk of their baby being born with a congenital abnormality, a new study suggests.
The most dangerous time is during the second and third months of pregnancy. The risk is virtually non-existent among women who are prescribed an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) late on in the pregnancy, the researchers found.
This is a further blow to a class of drugs that is suspected of causing suicidal tendencies in patients, and, paradoxically, making their depression worse.
(Source: Epidemiology, 2006; 4 October;
www.epidem.com,doi:10.1097/0Lede.0000239581.76 793.ae).
E-news broadcast 26 October 2006 No.304 [
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