Paxil Birth Defects - Mothers Must Consider the Risks

Greenville, SCWomen who are taking Paxil and are considering becoming pregnant should very seriously consider the risks of birth defects before deciding whether or not to continue taking the drug.

A study published last year showed that babies whose mothers took Paxil or other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) at 20 weeks or later during their pregnancy were six times as likely to have persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN - also known as primary pulmonary hypertension).

The study also found that babies whose mothers stopped taking Paxil in the first half of pregnancy did not have an increased risk of PPHN. Furthermore, antidepressants that were not in the SSRI class did not have a risk of PPHN. A different study showed that use of Paxil during the first trimester of pregnancy increased the risk of cardiac birth defects.

Women and physicians are advised that Paxil should only be taken during pregnancy if the potential benefit outweighs the risk to the fetus.

Consumer complaints at consumeraffairs.com describe serious problems with children after pregnant mothers took Paxil. One woman, who reported taking Paxil for six years, said that her son suffered from seizures for four years and was underweight. Another woman said that her daughter was born with a cleft palate and Pierre Robin Syndrome. Her daughter was in the hospital for a month for surgeries and also suffered from sleep apnea.

At another blog, a woman reported losing her child in 1990 after she took Paxil while pregnant. She writes that the infant had PPHN and died three months after birth.

The number of lawsuits against GlaxoSmithKline, makers of Paxil, is growing. Families have filed lawsuits alleging that exposure to Paxil prior to birth has led to a number of serious problems for children; in some cases the defects required open-heart surgery for repair.

Meanwhile, a recent study has shown that combining antidepressants such as Paxil with mood-stabilizing drugs may not help to treat the depressive phase of bipolar disorder, meaning that some people may have been unnecessarily taking Paxil. The study, which will be published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that careful management of mood-stabilizing medications may actually do more good than taking antidepressants.

Although Paxil is often used to treat bipolar depression, the FDA has not approved it for that use.

More information is needed on the risk of PPHN for infants exposed to Paxil prior to birth. However, it is unethical to test a drug on pregnant women since the drug's effect on the fetus is unknown. This makes obtaining information on Paxil and birth defects difficult.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that women who are pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant avoid Paxil if possible. If you are taking Paxil and become unexpectedly pregnant, contact your doctor to discuss your options. If you took Paxil while pregnant and your child suffered birth defects, you may want to contact a lawyer.