|
|
|
Name: cherisalorraine | Date: Dec 11th, 2008 1:10 AM |
Your OB/GYN should be able to tel you of all of the risks. They may also offer you something else during your pregancy. Can taking fluoxetine during my pregnancy cause birth defects? Fluoxetine is one of the better-studied antidepressants in pregnancy. There are reports of nearly 2,000 pregnancies exposed to fluoxetine during the first trimester. No study found an increased risk for major structural birth defects (those requiring surgery or reducing function). One study has identified an increased rate of three or more minor birth defects (those not medically or functionally significant) among children exposed to fluoxetine in the first trimester. When three or more minor birth defects are seen together, a major birth defect (including learning problems) occurs more often, although this was not seen in the fluoxetine study. I need to take fluoxetine throughout my entire pregnancy. Will it cause withdrawal symptoms in my baby? If you are taking fluoxetine during the third trimester until the time of delivery, your baby may experience some complications for the first few days of life requiring extra care. Symptoms of withdrawal such as problems breathing, jitteriness, increased muscle tone, irritability, altered sleep patterns, tremors and difficulty eating may occur. Your baby may need to stay in a special care nursery for several days until the withdrawal symptoms go away. While these problems occur at all doses of fluoxetine, they may occur more often with higher doses of fluoxetine. Are there any other problems fluoxetine can cause when used in the third trimester? Further research is needed to answer this question. One study found that third trimester use of fluoxetine compared to first trimester use increased the chances for premature delivery, higher rates of care in the newborn special-care nursery, and lower birth weight and length. In this study, women who stopped using fluoxetine by the end of the second trimester did not seem to be at an increased risk for these problems. Another study did not confirm these findings. Studies have shown that prematurity and other pregnancy complications may be related to the maternal depressive disorder itself rather than to the medication exposure. One study showed that babies whose mothers take SSRIs like fluoxetine during the third trimester may be at an increased risk for pulmonary hypertension, a serious lung problem at birth. You should inform your obstetrician and your baby's pediatrician that you are taking fluoxetine so that any extra care can be readily provided ↑ |