Lexapro Study Indicates No Benefit for Pregnant Women
By Christina Drury
Many people suffer from varying degrees of depression and are prescribed medications to help them battle their symptoms. One of these prescription categories is known as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, or SSRI for short. Mostly prescribed for patients between the ages of 18 and 44, SSRI usage has increased as much as 400% over the last two decades. Since many women of child-bearing age fall between the age ranges listed above, it is inevitable that some of these women will end up taking SSRI antidepressants while they are pregnant. There have been numerous studies involving pregnant women and the use of SSRI antidepressants to determine if the medications have an adverse reaction on the fetus. Studies in Boston Test Drugs on Pregnant Women
While there are always ethical questions concerning whether pregnant women should be participants in scientific studies, medical professionals insist that they must be aware of the pregnancy side effects of SSRIs in order to educate the public and physicians. What the study concluded, in regards to Lexapro, is that there is no benefit to either the pregnant woman or the fetus if Lexapro is taken during pregnancy. Lexapro is currently tied to pregnancy complications such as premature birth along with rare occasions of birth defects like persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN). Since premature birth can result in serious medical complications, it is viewed as a risk.
Additionally, there is concern marked by the fact that infants who were subjected to SSRI antidepressants while in the womb were 30% more at risk for developing Newborn Behavioral Syndrome. This can cause the infant to display side effects such as jitters, persistent crying, seizures, and breathing problems or possibly even Autism.
Lexapro is currently classified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a category C medication in terms of pregnancy. This essentially means that there are risks associated with the use of Lexapro during pregnancy but there is no way to measure the risk involved.
Critics Insist Lexapro Pregnancy Study Conclusions are Rash
As with any medical study that is perpetrated, there are critics who claim that the conclusions reached by the medical professionals in the Lexapro study were unusually negative. However, some critics of the study do agree that there is a benefit of weaning the mother from the SSRI antidepressants during pregnancy.
There is a Way to Get Help
If you took SSRI antidepressants while pregnant and found that it had adverse reactions on your pregnancy – whether it caused birth defects or pregnancy complications – you may be eligible for compensation.
To get more information, visit our Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, Lexapro & Prozac SSRI Antidepressant Birth Defect Class Action Lawsuit Investigation page to learn more about SSRI birth defects and pregnancy complications. Here, you will also be able to submit your information to qualified birth defect attorneys that are readily investigating the effects of SSRI antidepressants on both the mother and fetus during pregnancy. You may be entitled to compensation for your injuries.
Updated January 21st, 2013
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