Information On Paxil Heart Birth Defects
Posted by Depressed - 11/10/11 at 12:10 amSince 2005 Paxil has been labeled with a black box warning about pregnancy stating that pregnant women have to consult with their doctor before starting Paxil as it can lead to serious Birth Defects. There have been several studies that show that Paxil can potentially cause miscarriages.
Paxil has also been known to cause birth defects, the more common of which deal with the heart of the newborn. In 2006 the New England Journal of Medicine published a study which found that PPHN was six times as likely to occur in infants born to mothers who used Paxil or another SSRI medication during the final twenty weeks of pregnancy. The main reason for this is that the high blood pressure and poor oxygen flow through the infant’s body is the result of incomplete development of the respiratory system, caused by a malfunction in one of the blood vessels that functions during fetal growth.
The following is a list of the most common heart birth defects that can potentially be caused by Paxil:
· Persistent pulmonary hypertension, or PPHN, this is described as a lung problem that occurs in newborns and has been linked to maternal use of the antidepressant Paxil. Any newborn who is born with PPHN have several problems, they are unable to breathe properly because of constricted blood vessels in the lungs and consequently cannot get enough oxygen to vital organs such as the brain and kidneys. PPHN is a condition that usually requires intensive medical treatment and sometimes surgery, and in rare cases it can be fatal.
· Atrial Septal Defect (AVD) and Ventrical Septal Defect (VSD) these heart defects are a hole between the two upper chambers of the heart (atrial) or the two lower chambers of the heart (ventrical). Most of the time these defects will heal by themselves, however in severe cases surgery maybe required.
· Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome is defined when the newborn is born with an underdevelopment of one of the components of the left side of the heart: the left ventricle, aortic valve, or the left side of the mitral valve.
Studies have shown that Paxil has the ability to have a serious side effect on women who are taking the drug for their signs and symptoms of depression while pregnant; these women should be wary of potential Paxil Birth Defects to their babies.
Reference:
http://www.adrugrecall.com/paxil/birth-defect.html
