New Study Confirms SSRI Antidepressants Cause Birth Defects

Zoloft, Celexa, Paxil and Prozac are all known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI’s). The study revealed that the consumption of the SSRI antidepressants causes a number of side effects in addition to the number of birth defects that they had previously been linked to, including:  

The senior study author, Dr. Adam Urato, was reported in saying, “There is clear and concerning evidence of risk when pregnant women use these medications. On the other hand, there is no clear evidence that SSRI antidepressants actually benefit the mother in terms of alleviating mild to moderate depression. We’re not saying that women should not take SSRI’s. The goal is to give them information so they can make the right choice for them.”

Study Confirms FDA’s Downgrade in Paxil Rating Due to Fetal Side Effect Risks

The FDA reportedly requested that Glaxo Smith Kline, the manufacturer of Paxil, change its drug rating from a “C” to a “D” because of its risk of fetal side effects in 2005. The study confirmed the FDA’s standing with the common SSRI antidepressant. It was shown that taking Paxil while being pregnant led to an elevated side effect risk of the baby developing a congenital heart defect.

Alice Domar, the executive director for Domar Center of Mind/Body Health and study lead author was reported in saying, “What I don’t want to do is scare the heck out of women who are pregnant and have severe depression. I’m not suggesting that someone who is suicidal stop taking antidepressants cold turkey. You have to look at the risk-benefit ratio. In that case, suicidality, the risk of harm to her and her baby is far higher than the risk posed by an SSRI. For those with mild or moderate depression, the ratio shifts the other direction.”

However, this SSRI antidepressant birth defect study did not come without opposition. The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral science, Dr. Beatriz Currier, was reported in saying, “There is no conclusive data about an increased risk of miscarriage being associated with antidepressants, nor is there any reason to conclude that the rate of preeclampsia or birth defects is higher, although there is some evidence that antidepressant use may be associated with low birth weight babies.”

She went on to say, “There is no blanket recommendation as to how to treat depression during pregnancy and every woman who presents to a clinician has to undergo a case-by-case analysis of the benefits and risks of antidepressant therapy. Generally speaking, for women with very mild depression, the first course of treatment is that of cognitive behavioral therapy or other non-pharmacological forms of treatment. But in many cases, patients with moderate and severe depression will, in fact, require antidepressant therapy in order to treat their comorbid psychiatric illness, which cannot be ignored or dismissed.”