Birth defects are those which affect the newborn baby because of developmental abnormalities of the fetus during the period of gestation. Usually, they occur during the height of fetal development which coincides to the first trimester of the pregnancy. At this stage, folic acid supplements is deemed a primary requisite as it helps in the formation of the fetus’s brain, internal organs and skeletal framework. Because of its link to birth defects, paroxetine drug Paxil and other antidepressants should be taken with extreme caution at this stage.
In the United States, approximately one out of 33 babies are born suffering from it and around 120, 000 infants are born with birth defects each year. They have an increased chance of having a long-term illness. But most alarming is the fact that one out of five infant mortality causes have been attributed to birth defects, the most common of which are cleft palate, Down Syndrome and spina bifida.
On top of the list of patients prescribed with antidepressants are women. It is significant to note that antidepressant intake may not be stopped or paused abruptly for this may cause a relapse of the depression and make it worse. For this reason many women users of Paxil who are planning to get pregnant are advised to see their doctors. But most often than not, the usual alternative will be so stop Paxil use during the pregnancy or a shift from Paxil to another antidepressant. The risks that Paxil potentially poses to the fetus are more harmful than to the likely repercussions that Paxil withdrawal may inflict upon the pregnant mother. However , it is the opinion of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists that advice should be given on a case to case basis.
Paxil manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline PLC (GSK), is now facing litigation proceedings for over 600 cases of complaints against birth defects and has entered settlement over other Paxil related cases, says Bloomberg News. Paxil birth defects are one of the leading complaints for compensatory injuries against GSK. Infants who have been exposed to antidepressants have an increased chance of being delivered prematurely, weighing relatively low upon birth, spending time under intensive neonatal care and have trouble adapting to life outside the womb, medical researchers say. Babies of mothers who are under SSRI treatment are likened to those infants whose mothers have abused alcohol during the pregnancy.