(25-06-10)Antidepressants during pregnancy cause alarming 68 percent increased risk of miscarriage

by S. L. Baker, features writer


Back in 2005, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned that exposure to
the antidepressant paroxetine (sold as Paxil, Paxil CR, and Pexeva) in the
first trimester of pregnancy might increase the risk for birth defects,
especially heart problems. Did this halt the widespread prescribing of
paroxetine and other antidepressants for pregnant women? Unfortunately, the
answer is no.

In fact, background information in a just published study in CMAJ (the
Canadian Medical Association Journal) notes the drugs are frequently used in
pregnancy. Almost 4 percent of pregnant women take them at some point during
the first trimester -- and the result can be tragic. The new research concludes
expectant moms taking antidepressants have an astounding 68 percent increase in
the overall risk of miscarriage.

Most previous studies on the use of these medications in pregnancy have been
small and haven't looked as miscarriages as a main outcome. But this large
study by researchers from the University of Montreal and the Sainte-Justine
University Hospital Center (CHU Ste-Justine) evaluated the association between
antidepressant use in pregnancy in detail -- analyzing classes, types and doses
of the drugs and the risk of miscarriage.

In all, the scientists investigated data on 5124 women in Quebec from a large
population-based cohort of pregnant women who had miscarried by 20 weeks of
gestation. Then they compared their findings to a large sample of women from
the same registry who carried their babies full term. Of the women who lost
their babies, 284 had taken antidepressants during pregnancy.

All the popular SSRI drugs were linked to miscarriage risk
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), especially paroxetine, were
associated with the increased risk of miscarriage. Venlafaxine (sold under the
brand names Effexor, Alventa, Argofan, and Trevilor), which is the sixth most
commonly prescribed antidepressant in the U.S., belongs to another slightly
different class of SSRIs called arylalkanolamine serotonin-norepinephrine
reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) and, like paroxetine, it was also especially likely
to cause miscarriages. In addition, higher daily doses of antidepressants and a
combination of different drugs raised the risk substantially.

"These results, which suggest an overall class effect of selective serotonin
reuptake inhibitors, are highly robust given the large number of users
studied," Dr. Anick Berard of the University of Montreal and the Director of
the Research Unit on Medications and Pregnancy at CHU Ste-Justine wrote in the
article.

Overall, an astounding number of Americans, some 27 million, now take SSRIs.
However, as NaturalNews has previously reported, new dangers from these drugs
continue to be uncovered. For example, last December Albert Einstein College of
Medicine researchers announced their findings that taking SSRIs significantly
raises the risk of strokes and death in women after menopause (http://www.
naturalnews.com/027841_S...).

For more information:
http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/doi/10.1503/...

Fonte: NaturalNews

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