Treatment of Depression During Pregnancy with the Newest SSRID Drug

AS a thumb rule, all kinds of medication are best avoided during pregnancy. Yet, there are conditions of the mother that call for medication. One such condition is: depression and general anxiety. One anti-depressant that has proved to be very successful in the treatment of such conditions is: Lexapro. This is the newest member of the Seletive Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) family of drugs. However, it should be remembered that Lexapro is a pregnancy category C medicine. This means it should be prescribed to pregnant women only if the benefits outweigh the risks to the newborn.

Risks: Studies have shown that babies born to mothers using Lexapro seem to develop a condition called persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN). Such babies often have abnormal blood flow in the heart and lungs, and generally insufficient oxygen level in the body. Unusually high incidence of sickness and mortality has been seen among babies with PPHN. Lexapro medication during pregnancy can also cause birth defects (such as heart defects) in babies. Most such heart defects were ventricular septel defects, which can be repaired only through surgery. Babies exposed to Lexapro when in the womb showed withdrawal symptoms such as poor feeding, agitation, constant crying and insomnia.

Babies whose mothers used Lexapro during pregnancy have also been seen to be hyperactive and to develop symptoms such as high-pitched crying, disturbed sleep and seizures. Low birth weight has also been observed. The use of Lexapro during the third trimester of pregnancy has been seen to result in complications to fetus causing hospitalization of the mother in some cases.

So, why use Lexapro in pregnancy: It is best to avoid any kind of medication during pregnancy. But, in cases where the mothers mental is in a state of anxiety, the fetus can be at risk. Premature delivery is also a risk in such cases. Untreated depression in the mothers mental state can therefore harm the fetus. It therefore becomes necessary for such mothers to have their depression treated, and Lexapro is a preferred drug for such treatment.

Confide in the doctor: Pregnant women should tell the doctor that they are pregnant at the start of treatment for depression. Women who were not pregnant at the start of treatment but become so in the course of the treatment should immediately consult both the mental health doctor and the gynecologist, and the two doctors should consult each other too.

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