To avoid premature labor, pregnancy complications or miscarriage due to depression, may pregnant women were prescribed with antidepressants. These women continued using antidepressants even after giving birth to cure postpartum depression caused by insomnia. Antidepressants are treatments for depression. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRI), tricyclics and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI) are the four maintypes of antidepressants.Studies, however, suggest that SSRIs are risky in the first trimester of the pregnancy as it is linked to the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) on the infant exposed to it.
There are six selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, namely: fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), paroxetine (Paxil), citalopram (Celexa), escitalopram (Lexapro) and fluvoxamine (Luvox). Around 12% of children diagnosed with ASD, according to studies, have mothers who have been treated for depression or other mental disorders. SSRI exposure is responsible for the slight percentage of 2% of all cases of autism.In 2005, 6.5% of pregnant women were noted to have SSRI medication.
Major depressive disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder are some of the illnesses that the GlaxoSmithKline-manufactured paroxetine drug Paxil seeks to cure.Paroxetine works by increasing serotonin to help maintain mental and emotional balance thereby alleviating feelings of worry, anxiety and fear. It is ironic that while the purposes of Paxil are positive, it heightens the risk of suicidal thinking, clinical worsening or unusual changes in behavior as admitted by GlaxoSmithKline.
Paxil’s most common side effects are nausea, sleepiness, weakness, dizziness, feeling anxious or trouble sleeping, sexual problems, sweating, shaking, not feeling hungry, dry mouth, constipation, infection and yawning. Infants exposed to paroxetine during the early stages of their mother’s pregnancy were noticed to have a higher risk for congenital cardiovascular malformations. A warning label is placed on Paxil boxes against consumption by pregnant women or those who are breastfeeding. It contains the possible link between Paxil and birth defects or premature births.
Some birth defects allegedly caused by Paxil are clubbed foot, cleft palate, delayed development, persistent pulmonary hypertension, gastroschisis or abdominal hernia, heart defects and brain/spinal cord defects. The US Food and Drug Administration are anticipating a handful of complaints from Paxil users because of these dangerous side effects, especially those from pregnant users whose infants are suffering from birth defects.Complaints and ultimately a demand for compensation could give birth to a Paxil lawsuit against Paxil maker, GlaxoSmithKline PLC. Actual damages may be the measure for indemnification but the doorways to vindication are moral and exemplary damages.
REFERENCES:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0004481/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/emotional_health/mental_health/drugs_antidep.shtml
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db76.htm
http://us.gsk.com/products/assets/us_paxil.pdf
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a698032.html
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/07/04/antidepressant.pregnancy.autism.risk/index.html
www.sane.org/information/factsheets-podcasts/200-antidepressant-medication
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/child-and-adolescent-mental-health/antidepressant-medications-for-children-and-adolescents-information-for-parents-and-caregivers.shtml