Antidepressants linked to preterm birth?

Source: Reuters Health; American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, December 2009

Remember that post about the safety of prescription medications for pregnant women? http://www.medicalmalpracticelawyerblogphiladelphia.com/?p=528

Well, researchers in Washington (State not the Nation’s capital) have found in a study of 3,000 women, those taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) into their 2nd and 3rd trimesters had an increased risk (14%) of giving birth prematurely.

Medications such as Zoloft, Paxil and Prozac were felt to have no appreciable impact during the 1st trimester, however benzodiazepines, such as Ativan and Xanax were linked with preterm labor, low birth weight, respiratory distress and low Apgar Scores.

Among the women in the study who did not take any such medications, only 9% gave birth prematurely as opposed to nearly half of the women taking benzodiazepines.

One might very well question why, with the prevalence of such prescriptions, studies such as this were not published earlier.

~Posted by D.M. Schwadron, Esquire.