Friday, July 1, 2011

Prozac,Paxil linked to birth defects

Thinking about building your family? Are you taking an SSRI anti-depressant? The combination could be devastating. Read on...

As reported on June 28, 2011 by Medscape Medical News, "A study from Finland provides more evidence that exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in the first trimester of pregnancy increases the risk for major congenital anomolies (birth defects), particularly cardiac defects." The article goes on to state that, "fluoxetine (Prozac) in early pregnancy was associated with about a 2-fold increased risk for isolated ventricular septal defects, whereas paroxetine (Paxil) was associated with more than a 4-fold increased risk for right ventricular outflow tract defects." At the sametime, the absolute risk for these specific cardia anomalies is small - .5% and .2%, respectively. The study is published in the July issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

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