Bad News About Antidepressants?

Two new studies have found that women on a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) such as Prozac during pregnancy could affect their babies. Meanwhile, studies are showing that women who stop taking the drugs may go back into depression, which itself has been linked with preterm delivery and low birth weight. One study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found an expectant mom's taking SSRIs after the 20th week of pregnancy raised the risk of a rare, but serious condition called persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn in which an infant's circulatory system does not develop properly. The Food and Drug Administration has labeled these findings "very concerning" and could be moving to change labels on the drugs. Another study reported in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, found that 30 percent of babies born to women on SSRIs experienced several days of withdrawal symptoms, such as trouble sleeping and tremors. Talk with your healthcare provider.