Summary

Cranston, R.I., mom Lisa Kirshenbaum said finding a doctor sufficiently trained in the use of antidepressants was the real challenge. Boston psychiatrist Lee Cohen, MD, thinks there may be a connection between antidepressants and infant jitteriness, but doesn't believe it causes other symptoms, and is afraid depressed women may avoid the care they need for fear of harming their babies. Kirshenbaum says women with depression should educate themselves on the subject.

Original source:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,156926,00.html

Details

• Infants born to mothers who take antidepressants during the final months of pregnancy can suffer mild to severe symptoms of drug withdrawal, but the symptoms rarely last longer than the first few weeks of life, according to a newly published review.
• Researchers reported that newborns exposed to antidepressants taken by their mother late in pregnancy have twice the risk of admission to special-care nurseries as newborns not exposed to these drugs.
• Researcher Eydie Moses-Kolko, MD, tells WebMD that these severe symptoms occur in less than 1% of babies exposed to antidepressants like Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, and Celexa shortly before birth.
• Cranston, R.I., mom Lisa Kirshenbaum couldn't agree more, but she adds that finding a doctor who has experience treating women with depression during pregnancy is critical.
• Concern about the use of antidepressant drugs known as serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) late in pregnancy have grown in recent years with the publication of several studies linking them to withdrawal-like symptoms in newborns.
• Use of these medications during pregnancy is not associated with fetal malformation, say the researchers.
• Infant jitteriness, irritability, feeding problems, respiratory distress, and stiffened muscle tone are among the symptoms associated with antidepressant exposure shortly before birth in the studies.
• Moses-Kolko and colleagues from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine report that infants exposed to SRI antidepressants shortly before birth were three times as likely to exhibit behaviors like jitteriness, respiratory distress, and fussiness as nonexposed infants and those exposed only during early pregnancy.
• Cohen directs the Center for Women's Mental Health at Massachusetts General Hospital, one of the few treatment facilities in the country that specializes in treating depression during pregnancy.
• Kirshenbaum now knows that much of what she heard from doctors during her first two pregnancies was wrong.

Related Articles

Popular Topics: Pregnancy, Antidepressants, Risk, Diabetes, Breast cancer, Prostate cancer, Heart disease, Depression, High cholesterol, Osteoporosis, Vaccines, Autism, ADHD, Infertility, Weight loss, Cancer, Alzheimer's, Trans fats, Acrylamides, Fluoride, Mercury	Take Action: Support NaturalNews.com Email this article to a friend Share this article on: NewsVine | digg | del.icio.us Permalink to this article: http://www.naturalnews.com/008303_expectant_mothers_antidepressants.html Reprinting this article: Non-commercial use OK, cite NaturalNews.com with clickable link. <a href = "http://www.naturalnews.com/008303_expectant_mothers_antidepressants.html">Taking antidepressants during pregnancy puts children at risk of respiratory illness, seizures</a>
Receive our Natural Health Newsletter for FREE Subscribe now (it's free!) to win. We randomly choose a subscriber each month to send $100 in eco-home products or a RealGoods.com gift certificate (our choice). Plus, you'll receive FREE news, articles and action alerts from NaturalNews.com editors and join over 800,000 monthly readers who report extraordinary health improvements after becoming a subscriber! Receive breaking news alerts on natural health solutions, renewable energy, the environment, global warming and more. Receive a free instant download of our $29 Secret Sources guide that reveals top sources for little-known health and diet solutions.	Your Email Address: Free Subscription Code: Enter the numbers you see: 100% free of charge. Unsubscribe anytime. Absolutely no spam. We respect your email privacy.
Recommended Special Report: Seven Words that can Change the World by Joseph R. Simonetta Read this special report now... "Seven Words That Can Change the World reveals the astonishing, simple truths that have the power to forever transform our world for the better while freeing our minds from the enslavement of limiting beliefs. This is not a text for the simple-minded; it is a guiding philosophy for the mindful, intelligent few who are wise enough to seek out -- and recognize -- the higher simplicities of truly purposeful living." - Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, editor of NaturalNews.com	More on NaturalNews.com: • Streaming Health Ranger Videos • CounterThink Cartoons • FREE Special Reports • Podcasts