Paxil and your Pregnancy

Allison Snoddy

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New studies show that women who are pregnant or who might become pregnant should not take the antidepressant Paxil due to birth defects. Nearly a year ago, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and GlaxoSmithKline -- which make Paxil -- changed the warnings on the drug to include the results of the studies.

The FDA now advises pregnant women to merely switch from Paxil to another SSRI drug, such as Prozac or Zoloft. The FDA then enhanced their warnings after studies showed that women who took Paxil were 1.5-2 times more likely to have children with birth defects such as malformations in the chambers of the heart. Obstetricians now recommend that women avoid Paxil and reconsider using any SSRI antidepressant during their pregnancy.

For more information on this subject matter, please refer to the section on Drugs, Medical Devices, and Implants.