Before your ever meet your baby, you must make parenting choices. If you suffer from depression, one of the earliest and toughest of these choices involves creating an effective treatment plan that's also safe for your baby. Finding a medication that adequately treats your symptoms can take months or even years, so the prospect of starting over from scratch or relapsing into depression can be as daunting as the idea that your medication might harm your baby. Unfortunately, Paxil is a drug you should use during pregnancy only if the benefits of treatment outweigh the potential risks of birth defects.
Dangers of Depression
Depression is a real medical condition and not just something you can learn to deal with while you're pregnant. Depression can cause you to make poor choices or limit your ability to care for yourself. "Babies born to mothers who are depressed may also be less active, show less attention and are more irritable and agitated than babies born to moms who are not depressed," states the American Pregnancy Association. While you might feel like sacrificing your own health for your baby's is the right thing to do, it's important to instead seek a balanced approach to treatment that meets both your needs.
Paxil and Potential Pregnancy Complications
In 2005, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration changed Paxil's pregnancy safety category from C to D. Category D drugs have a demonstrated risk of birth defects or pregnancy complications. Of particular concern to the FDA are research studies that indicate Paxil causes heart defects in 2 percent of babies born to mothers who took the drug in the first three moths of pregnancy. Both the FDA and the National Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend that doctors not prescribe Paxil to pregnant women. Still, "in some patients, the benefits of continuing Paxil may be greater than the potential risk to the fetus," reports the FDA.
Safely Switching Medications
Your doctor might recommend that you try a safer medication instead of stopping medication altogether. It's critical that you follow your doctor's dosage instructions, as stopping Paxil abruptly can cause withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, insomnia and vomiting. Switching too quickly exposes your baby to two kinds of medication, which might increase birth defect risk, according to MayoClinic.com. Talk to your doctor about weaning yourself off of your medication toward the end of your pregnancy to prevent withdrawal symptoms in your baby. Your mental health provider and prenatal care provider should work together to determine your new treatment plan.
Management Without Medication
Not every woman who suffers from depression needs medication during pregnancy. Women with mild depression might find that a combination of talk therapy, exercise, nutrition and herbal remedies successfully manages their depression until after delivery, according to the American Pregnancy Association. Never take herbal remedies without discussing them with your doctor.
The Bottom Line:
Paxil increases your risk of birth defects, but there's no way to know for sure if or how it will affect your baby. Your parental instincts might make you feel like your baby's health is more important than your own, but you need to be healthy in order to deliver and raise a healthy child. Only you and your doctor can decide if the benefits of taking Paxil during pregnancy outweigh the risks.
References
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration; FDA Advising of Risk of Birth Defects with Paxil; December 2005
- American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; ACOG Issues Opinion on SSRI Antidepressant Use During Pregnancy ; December 2006
- The American Pregnancy Association; Depression During Pregnancy; April 2011
- MayoClinic.com; Antidepressants: Safe During Pregancy?; December 2009
- BabyCenter; Is it Safe to Take Antidepressants During Pregnancy?; Gerald Briggs, Pharmacist Clinical Specialist
