|
Using the antidepressant Paxil
late in pregnancy seems to be associated with a higher rate of complications
in the newborn, but the findings do not mean women should not take the
drug.
In a new study, Paxil did not
increase the risk of birth defects when taken during any trimester. However,
12 infants born to 55 women who took the drug late in pregnancy had complications
that required prolonged hospitalization. Nine of the babies had respiratory
distress, two had hypoglycemia (abnormally low blood sugar) and one had
jaundice -- a yellowing of the skin due to reduced liver function.
Paxil is a newer type of antidepressant
known as a selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), and is known
to cause a "discontinuation" syndrome in adults -- a type of
withdrawal. There had been case reports of a similar syndrome in infants
born to mothers who have taken the drug during pregnancy.
Motherisk counsels physicians
and women about the safety of medications during pregnancy, largely based
on a huge database of its own safety studies.
In this study researchers compared
outcomes for infants exposed to Paxil during the third trimester of pregnancy,
to 27 babies exposed only during the first or second trimester, and to
27 infants whose mothers took other types of medication during pregnancy.
Only three babies of the women who used Paxil during the first or second
trimester or who used other medications ended up having complications.
The higher rate of complications
in infants exposed to Paxil late in gestation suggests they may have been
experiencing discontinuation syndrome.
Pediatric
Academic Societies Meeting Baltimore, MD May 7, 2002
New
England Journal of Medicine April 11, 2002;346(15):1175-6
Drugs
2002;62(5):757-73
| 