Taking antidepressants made pregnant women wonder if it is acceptable for use during pregnancy. Spreading in the news like wildfire, the risks associated in using antidepressants is a hot topic. The Food and Drug Association have been receiving complaints about those drugs. The market has a lot of available antidepressants that consumers can buy. Even diabetics are now using antidepressants. Diabetes and depression has been managed simultaneously in many researches in order to illicit desirable results.
Because of the increasing number of men and women taking antidepressants, the FDA has been trying to warn the public of the possible risks. Pharmaceutical companies is trying to market antidepressants as safe to use in pregnant women in order to catch a wider demographic. Although the truth still rings true that taking medications during pregnancy puts the baby at risk. This dilemma often leaves women confused.
Doctors are advised by the FDA to brief their patients of the potential risks associated with antidepressant use. There were studies conducted for knowing the truth behind their side effects. To really comprehend the associated risks and benefits of the drug, extensive research is being done.
The FDA has received reports about women having babies with birth defects blamed on antidepressants. The first trimester is often the time to avoid medications, says obstetrician and gynecologist alike. Medications taken during the first three months would affect the organ development of the baby. Using Sertraline or Zoloft during the first trimester may result to particular birth defects associated with it. The exact mechanism of antidepressants at work in users has not been known.
Risks and benefits should be evaluated by doctors to determine if the women really need to take antidepressants all throughout the pregnancy. A woman needs to watch out for certain risks in the antidepressant that she are using. The FDA has even labeled Zoloft as a category C for its pregnancy risk. The last research by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed that 4.5 percent of pregnant women take antidepressants three months before pregnancy and while they are pregnant. Taking Zoloft during pregnancy left women fearing for their baby developing Zoloft birth defects.
Coarctation of the Aorta is a defect that normally occurs at birth. In this condition, a part of the aorta, the major blood vessel responsible for bringing oxygen-rich blood to the other systems, is narrowed. This defect is somewhat common as it takes 5 to 8 percent of the total congenital cardiac cases. It may occur as an isolated defect or may be accompanied by other heart conditions such as ventricular septal defect. There is no known cause for Coarctation of the aorta but it has been linked with Zoloft use at the time of pregnancy. Also, it has been said that Zoloft increases the risk of autism in children born to women who took the drug at the time of pregnancy.
What happens in Coarctation of the Aorta?
In this condition, the heart has to pump harder to compensate for the defective aorta so the body systems will have receive the right amount of blood. The heart's compensatory actions may lead to several complications including hypertension and stroke. More severe complications such as rupture of the aorta, narrowing of the blood vessels towards the heart and brain aneurysms can happen. A case of organ failure may arise if the demand for blood throughout the rest of the body is not sufficiently met. All of these complications are serious and life-threatening which needs immediate medical attention.
How is Coarctation of the Aorta managed?
The condition should be diagnosed before treatment methods can be carried. Symptoms depend on the severity of the condition but usually, they are manifested by new-borns in the first few days of life and it includes pale skin, heavy sweating, difficulty in breathing and irritability. Once diagnosed, it is best to perform surgery on the patient so serious complications can be avoided. Medication is used to manage the hypertension but it cannot treat the Coarctation. Babies with severe cases of Coarctation may be given the drug, Prostaglandin E to maintain a patent ductus arteriosus so blood will still flow around the constriction until the heart defect is corrected. Anti-hypertensive medications might still be prescribed after the procedure since blood pressure can still be elevated. Prevention is always the best management so the pregnant woman is advised to be cautious especially with medications as reports of Zoloft birth defects, a type of antidepressant, includes this.
Studies Reveal Risks for Infants whose Mothers take Zoloft
Infants born to mothers who were treated with Zoloft during their pregnancy are at risk of having birth defects as a serious side effect of the antidepressant drug according to several studies.
Zoloft which is manufactured by Pfizer, Inc. is a selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor (SSRI) used to treat several disorders because of its ability to increase the serotonin level in the brain. Zoloft has been approved to treat patients 18 years old and above of depression, social anxiety disorder, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorder, premenstrual dyphoric disorder (PMDD); and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) among patients aged 6-17 years old by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
However, studies show that Zoloft and other antidepressant drugs could have serious side effects on the infants whose mothers were treated with it during their pregnancy such as serious developmental birth defects, a potentially life-threatening lung disorder, and increased risks in premature and stillbirths. In fact, one study linked Zoloft to “Omphalocele”¯, a developmental birth defect wherein an infant is born with parts of its intestines outside the abdominal wall. Brain developmental defects such as anencephaly--a condition wherein an infant is missing a large part of its brain and craniosynostosis--a condition when a newborn encounters problems with the normal growth of its brain and skull are shown by another study as two brain development defects associated with Zoloft.
An increase in the incidence of persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) has also been noted in a 2006 study by the University of California in San Diego seen to be fatal in about 20 percent of newborns born to mothers who took Zoloft during their pregnancy. Newborns who survive the infliction will need mechanical aids to breathe and may suffer developmental delays, hearing loss and brain abnormalities.
The FDA noted the study of PPHN in infants but it only required birth defect warnings from Paxil, another antidepressant drug. It did, however, issue a number of alerts and warnings over the past few years in response to the studies which linked Zoloft to serious side effects on infants whose mothers had taken the drug during their pregnancy.
Despite the FDA-issued warnings, pregnant women are advised against the abrupt discontinuation of the medication as they may suffer withdrawal symptoms after giving birth. It is best for pregnant women to consult with their doctors first and discuss the risks the medication may pose to their newborns.
