Studies Warn of Birth Defects Related to Zoloft
Results of several studies which reveals an increased risk in the incidence of serious birth defects on infants, such as brain and spinal cord defects, warn mothers about taking the antidepressant drug Zoloft during their pregnancy. Any mother would do anything not to let her child suffer deformities as soon as they were born.
Zoloft which is being manufactured by the Pfizer, Inc. is one of a group of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which when taken increases the levels of serotonin in the brain claimed by the pharmaceutical as effective in treating a list of disorders. In response to several studies revealing Zoloft's hand in various birth defects including a serious and potentially deadly effect on the infants' heart, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned against using the medication among pregnant women.
The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) published a 2006 study which claims that women are six times more liable to give birth to an infant who have acquired a serious and potentially fatal circulatory condition called persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) if they take Zoloft while they are already on their 20th week of pregnancy. This claim is further supported by another study in 2007 published also in the The New England Journal medicine (NEJM) that mothers who take Zoloft or similar antidepressant drugs during their pregnancy were twice as likely to give birth to an infant with heart defects most common of which are ventricular outflow defects and septal defects.
Researchers said that other than the heart defects, infants whose mothers took Zoloft during their pregnancy might suffer from craniosynostosis, a condition wherein an infant suffers a problem in the growth of the brain and skull; and omphalocele wherein an infant is born with parts of its intestines found outside the abdominal wall. Another study claimed more birth defects such as hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), Tetralogy of Fallot, cardiomyopathy, anencephaly, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), tricuspid stenosis, cleft mitral valve or bicuspid aortic valve.
The FDA had reported on the study of infants with PPHN, however, it did not require warnings about birth defects on any antidepressant except Paxil. The various studies that showed a connection between Zoloft intake and birth defects prompted the FDA to warn mothers regarding the risk to their newborns.
Despite the warnings, mothers are advised to consult a doctor before discontinuing the Zoloft which may cause them to suffer withdrawal symptoms after childbirth.
Zoloft which is being manufactured by the Pfizer, Inc. is one of a group of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which when taken increases the levels of serotonin in the brain claimed by the pharmaceutical as effective in treating a list of disorders. In response to several studies revealing Zoloft's hand in various birth defects including a serious and potentially deadly effect on the infants' heart, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned against using the medication among pregnant women.
The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) published a 2006 study which claims that women are six times more liable to give birth to an infant who have acquired a serious and potentially fatal circulatory condition called persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) if they take Zoloft while they are already on their 20th week of pregnancy. This claim is further supported by another study in 2007 published also in the The New England Journal medicine (NEJM) that mothers who take Zoloft or similar antidepressant drugs during their pregnancy were twice as likely to give birth to an infant with heart defects most common of which are ventricular outflow defects and septal defects.
Researchers said that other than the heart defects, infants whose mothers took Zoloft during their pregnancy might suffer from craniosynostosis, a condition wherein an infant suffers a problem in the growth of the brain and skull; and omphalocele wherein an infant is born with parts of its intestines found outside the abdominal wall. Another study claimed more birth defects such as hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), Tetralogy of Fallot, cardiomyopathy, anencephaly, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), tricuspid stenosis, cleft mitral valve or bicuspid aortic valve.
The FDA had reported on the study of infants with PPHN, however, it did not require warnings about birth defects on any antidepressant except Paxil. The various studies that showed a connection between Zoloft intake and birth defects prompted the FDA to warn mothers regarding the risk to their newborns.
Despite the warnings, mothers are advised to consult a doctor before discontinuing the Zoloft which may cause them to suffer withdrawal symptoms after childbirth.
Source...