SSRI Antidepressants and PPHN in Newborns

JUN-01-07: There is a problem out there for prospective mothers and fathers. The problem is that instead of being able to find good information on the interplay between SSRIs (a group of antidepressants including Zoloft, Paxil and Prozac) and safe pregnancy, there is a big black void. [MORE: SSRI DATA NEEDED]

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APR-29-07: Pregnancy is often portrayed in the media as a joyful rite-of- passage for young women. Unfortunately, this isn't always the case. As a May 7, 2007 press release from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) points out, impending motherhood is sometimes associated with wild mood swings and despondency. [MORE: ANTI-DEPRESSANT RISKS]

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APR-02-07: The FDA has issued numerous public health advisories and black box warnings over the past several years about the increased risk of suicidality associated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants, but many doctors ignore them. [MORE: FDA SSRI ADVISORIES]

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MAR-03-07: Following his evaluation, Mr Kendall stated: "This data confirms what we found in adults with mild to moderate depression: SSRIs are no better than placebo, and there is no point in using something that increases the risk of suicide." [MORE: SSRI SECRETS]

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FEB-23-07: In recent years, Federal and state investigators have been going after the makers of the antidepressants known as the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), for promoting the drugs for off-label use under the theory that they are causing the submission of false claims to Medicare, Medicaid, and other public health care programs. [MORE: SSRI PRESCRIBERS INVESTIGATED]

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JAN-25-07: Some of us may remember back in the 1960s when a prescription sedative was marketed throughout 47 countries in the world, including Canada, that resulted in almost 10,000 babies born with 'phocomelia' - a birth defect whereby the upper portion of a limb is absent or poorly developed, so that the hand or foot attaches to the body by a short, flipper-like stump. [MORE: FDA SSRI LENIANCY]

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JAN-08-07: The market for antidepressants is the largest segment of the Central Nervous System drug sector with global sales of $16.2 billion in 2005. Depression costs the US economy an estimated $44 billion a year and the World Health Organization predicts depression will be the leading cause of disability by 2020, according to a report by Research and Markets. [MORE: SSRI MARKET BOOMING]

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DEC-09-06: Up to twenty percent of women have clinical depression during their lives and for many, depression does not improve during pregnancy. [MORE: WHY ARE SSRI's PRESCRIBED?]

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OCT-30-06: In a small town outside of Fort Worth, Texas, a two-year-old boy sits by the window of his family room watching his three-year-old brother playing outside with tears rolling down his face. He is too little to understand that he cannot go outside because his heart is too damaged and weak for him to play in the hot summer air. He is too young to know that just by running too long or falling down too hard that he could cause his own death. [MORE: SSRI BIRTH DEFECTS?]

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OCT-02-07: According to a recent study, women are not being properly warned about the risks of taking an SSRI during pregnancy. It is reported that it is six times more likely for a child to develop persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) if the mother is taking an anti-depressant while pregant. [OPED: SSRI BIRTH DEFECTS]

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JUN-28-07: Two new studies have found a link between anti-depressant use and fetal heart defects. One study found that the use of Paxil, an SSRI resulted in triple the risk for a rare fetal heart defect. [SCIENCE DAILY: SSRI BIRTH DEFECT]

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FEB-22-07: SSRIs have been linked with suicidality, extreme violence and homicide, several life-threatening birth defects, abnormal uterine or gastrointestinal bleeding, a decrease in bone mineral density, fertility problems, sexual dysfunction, and a severe withdrawal syndrome. [SCOOP: SSRI BIRTH DEFECTS]

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JAN-10-07: Forest Labs knew about the potential for birth defects caused by SSRIs as FDA was concerned that SSRIs may cause adverse effects to babies born to mothers taking the drugs late in pregnancy. [BEST SYNDICATION: SSRI BIRTH DEFECTS]

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DEC-28-06: Use of any SSRI antidepressant in the first trimester of pregnancy resulted in a 40% increase in birth defects and more specifically a 60% increased risk in cardiac abnormalities. [SIERRA TIMES: SSRI BIRTH DEFECTS]

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APR-06-06: Women who take a popular class of antidepressants during pregnancy have a higher risk of birth complications. [GLOBE AND MAIL: SSRI BIRTH DEFECTS]

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FEB-09-06: New research shows that Paxil and other SSRIs may be linked to PPHN a deadly lung disorder in newborns. [FORBES: SSRI PPHN]

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