One in 10 women will suffer from depression during their pregnancy or the postpartum period. While this statistic is shockingly high, the side effects of medicines given to treat the depression in these women can add even more struggle to their lives. The problem is that many women are confused about the available options to treat their depression, and many times the default is to be prescribed an antidepressant that can have severe side effects on unborn children.
A common class of prescribed antidepressants is known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs. Examples of SSRIs include Paxil (paroxetine), Zoloft (sertraline), Prozac (fluoxetine), Effexor (venlafaxne), Celexa (citalopram), Lexapro (escitalopram), Symbyax (fluoxetime and olanzapine), Wellbutrin (bupropion) and Cymbalta (duloxetine). The Mayo Clinic has reported that taking antidepressants during pregnancy may cause health risks to a developing baby, but stopping may pose risks for the mother.
The public is not aware that many of these SSRIs may cause birth defects. To make matters worse, a mother who discovers these potential health risks to her unborn baby cannot simply stop taking the medication without experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms.
There are five drug categories that the FDA has used to described the potential of health risks to an unborn baby. They are A, B, C, D and X, with A being the least dangerous and X being the most dangerous.
Class A drugs have been tested without any adverse effects being found, while studies of Class X drugs have resulted in fetal abnormalities. It is widely thought that the dangers of a class X drug greatly outweigh any benefit. Most SSRIs are class C drugs, which have resulted in fetal abnormalities in animal studies, but there are no reliable results from human studies.
Specifically, Paxil has been shown to result in life-treatening lung problems in newborn babies whose mothers take Paxil during pregnancy. It may feel natural to feel guilty about taking any of these drugs while pregnant, but the problem is that those who manufacture these drugs have not sufficiently studied the drugs or disclosed the risks. The problem is a lack of information.
OEA
About the Editors: The Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm, which has offices in Virginia (VA) and North Carolina (NC), edits the injury law blogs Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as pro bono services.
Rick Shapiro has practiced personal injury law for over 30 years in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States. He is a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy (ABA Accredited) and has litigated injury cases throughout the eastern United States, including wrongful death, trucking, faulty products, railroad, and medical negligence claims. During his three-decade career, Shapiro has won client appeals before the VA Supreme Court, VA Court of Appeals, NC Supreme Court, SC Supreme Court, WV Supreme Court, TN Supreme Court, and three times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, underscoring Shapiro’s trial achievements. In addition, he and his law firm have won settlements/verdicts in excess of $100 million. His success in and out of the courtroom is a big reason why he was named 2019 “Lawyer of the Year” in railroad law in U.S. News & World Report's Best Lawyers publication (Norfolk, VA area), and he has been named a “Best Lawyer” and “Super Lawyer” by those peer-reviewed organizations for multiple years. Rick was also named a “Leader in the Law, Class of 2022” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (total of 33 statewide honorees consisting of lawyers and judges across Virginia). And in September 2023, Rick was selected as a recipient of the National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) 2023 President’s Award. Although many nominations were submitted from across the country, Rick was just one of eight attorneys chosen by the prestigious National Board which certifies civil trial attorneys across the U.S. Rick was also recently named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2024 Virginia’s Go To Lawyers Medical Malpractice. The attorneys awarded this honor are nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a panel from the publication.
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