Antidepressants double risk of birth defects

Australian regulator warns of high rate of heart defects in babies due to SSRIs

Australian authorities have warned that pregnant women taking the SSRI Seroxat (paroxetine) are at double the risk of having a birth defect in their unborn child. The Australian regulatory agency, the TGA, has reclassified paroxetine from a grade C to a grade D drug , one that should be avoided during pregnancy.

The new warnings for Paxil and other SSRIs are spelled out as follows: "Details from a preliminary analysis of GlaxoSmithKline data showed a higher incidence of congenital malformations, particularly ventricular septal defects, in babies born to women taking the drug. Babies of women taking paroxetine in the first trimester of pregnancy were 2.2 times more likely to be born with a congenital malformation and 2.08 times more likely to have a cardiovascular malformation than those born to women taking other antidepressants, the data showed.