Another Ssri Linked To Birth Defects
By www.menhealthonline.biz
For years, certain anti-depressant drugs have been in the news due to their link to birth defects in the infants born to women who took the drugs during their pregnancy. According to an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine, research shows that "infants born to mothers who took Zoloft (generic sertraline) or other SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) after the 20th week of pregnancy were six times more likely to have persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) than infants born to mothers who did not take antidepressants during pregnancy."
Infants born with PPHN have difficulty making the transition from breathing inside the womb to normal breathing after delivery. This difficulty often leads to respiratory failure that requires use of a ventilator. Research has found that SSRI's accumulate in the adult's lungs and serotonin can cause the proliferation of certain muscle cells. This may explain the drug's effect on the fetus. Between 10-20% of babies born with this condition do not survive.
The drug company that manufactures Zoloft, Pfizer Incorporated, promotes the drug for disorders besides depression, so many women may be taking the drug who have never even been diagnosed with depression. Zoloft is also prescribed to treat social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
The fact that women can become dependent on Zoloft and other