Poisoning In the Womb - SSRIs News

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Fri, 10 Feb 2006 21:28:17 -0500

[sSRI-Research] Pringle - Poisoning In the Womb - SSRIs News

 

 

 

 

Here is the latest article from Evelyn Pringle. This piece was

written for a legal services organization.

 

Evie, an investigative journalist/gang member/superstar, is a friend.

I am reposting gang member Emma Holister's cartoon (sent out 02/09)

and attaching it to this article. Emma lives in southern France.

 

 

 

 

 

Poisoning In the Womb - SSRIs News

February 9, 2006. By Evelyn Pringle

 

New research has linked the use of SSRIs during pregnancy to a

complication in newborns of a rare but life-threatening lung problem,

according to this month's New England Journal of Medicine. Infants

born to women who took the drugs in the second half of their

pregnancy, had 6 times the risk of developing the disorder, the

researchers reported.

 

Only a couple of days ago on February 7, 2006, WebMD reported a new

study from Israel, in which about one out of three newborns exposed to

antidepressants in the womb showed signs of neonatal drug withdrawal,

which included high-pitched crying, tremors, and disturbed sleep.

 

The Israel study involved 60 newborns whose mothers took SSRIs

Evelyn Pringle throughout their

pregnancies and reported that 18, or 30%, of the newborns showed signs

of drug withdrawal after birth, and in eight cases the symptoms were

considered severe.

 

But then what's new? A study conducted a year ago at a University in

Spain determined that, " drugs known as selective reuptake inhibitors

(SSRIs) can cause convulsions, irritability, abnormal crying and tremors. "

 

For this study, researchers accessed the World Health Organization's

database on adverse reactions and withdrawal symptoms in infants

associated with the use of SSRIs from 72 countries, according to the

February 15, 2005, Epoch Times

 

" Risks of neonatal convulsions and neonatal withdrawal syndrome seem

to be increased with all SSRIs, " said Professor Emilio Sanz, the

leader of the study, of the University of La Laguna in Tenerife.

 

In February 2004, another study reported that " first-trimester use of

SSRIs has been associated with higher rates minor physical anomalies

and miscarriages, thus suggesting possible early effects of SSRI

exposure on embryonic development, " according to Maternal Selective

Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor, Philip Sanford Zeskind, PhD and Laura E

Stephens, Pediatrics Vol 113 No 2 February 2004, pp. 368-375.

 

The same study said that third-trimester use off SSRIs has been

associated with lower gestational age, low birth weight, higher rates

of neonatal intensive care unit admissions.

 

A 2004 study in France published in Prescrire Int. 2004

Jun;13(71):103-4, in summary reported: (1) Newborns exposed to SSRI

during pregnancy show signs of agitation, altered muscle tone, and

breathing and suction problems. (2) symptoms have been noted with all

five SSRI antidepressants. (3) 20% to 30% of newborns are affected.

(4) The symptoms are variously attributed to withdrawal or to the drug

itself. (5) doctors should be aware of this risk when considering

antidepressant treatment for women in the third trimester of

pregnancy. PMID: 15233148 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 

In July 2004, the FDA moved to alter labeling for the entire class of

SSRI of drugs, warning that some newborns exposed to SSRIs and Effexor

have developed problems requiring prolonged hospitalizations,

respiratory support, and tube feeding.

 

" The agency has received hundreds of prelim- inary reports of adverse

effects in newborns over the last decade, " WebMd reported on June 9,

2004. The most common include trouble eating, irritability, body

rigidity, and respiratory trouble, said Kathleen Phelan, a safety

evaluator in the FDA's division of drug risk evaluation too WebMD.

 

But this is nothing new either. Researchers have been reporting the

risks of using these drugs during pregnancy for years, but the media

has chosen not to inform the public.

 

Back in 1996, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine

identified 228 pregnant women on the SSRI Prozac during the period of

1989 through 1995, and compared the outcomes of their pregnancies to

254 women who were not taking Prozac.

 

The study determined that infants exposed to Prozac in the womb during

the third trimester of pregnancy had significantly higher rates of

premature delivery, admissions to special-care nurseries, and poor

neonatal adaptation, including respiratory difficulty, cyanosis on

feeding and jitteriness. Birth weight was also lower and birth length

was shorter in infants exposed to Prozac, according to Chambers CD,

Johnson KA, Dick LM, Felix RJ, Jones KL. Birth outcomes in pregnant

women taking fluoxetine. N Engl J Med.1996; 335 :1010 -1015

 

In 2003 a study warned about SSRIs making their way into the womb:

" These psychotropic medications readily cross the placental barrier

and expose the infant to increased serotonin levels during early

development, " by Hendrick V, Stowe Z, Altshuler L, Hwang S, Lee E,

Haynes D, Am J Psychiatry.2003; 160:993 -996

 

A new risk was made public on December 8, 2005, when the FDA issued an

alert to health care professionals and patients about the results of

new studies on Paxil that found the drug increases the risk for birth

defects, particularly heart defects, when women take it during the

first three months of pregnancy.

 

The first study, was an evaluation of US health insurer information,

and found that about 2% of women who took Paxil in the first trimester

of pregnancy gave birth to infants with heart defects, compared to

about 1% of women in the general population. The second study, was

conducted in Sweden, and examined records from close to 7,000 newborns

and found that 1.5% of women taking Paxil in the first 3 months,

delivered infants with heart defects, compared to 1% of women who took

other antidepressants.

 

Most of the defects reported were " atrial and ventricular septal

defects " which means " holes in the walls of the chambers of the hear, "

according to the FDA.

 

Paxil was approved by the FDA in 1993, and due to aggressive marketing

campaigns by drug maker, GlaxoSmithKline, it quickly became one of the

world's most popular drugs. Paxil is now also sold under the generic

name paroxetine.

 

The FDA has now ordered Glaxo, to change the pregnancy category from C

to the stronger category D, which signals that studies in pregnant

women have demonstrated a risk to the fetus.

 

" Women taking Paxil who are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, " the

FDA warned in its December 8 the advisory, " should talk to their

physicians about the potential risks of taking the drug during pregnancy. "

 

The agency also said, that health care professionals should consider

discontinuing Paxil and switching to another antidepressant if

indicated in these patients.

 

Good luck to pregnant women who think for one minute about trying to

educate a health care professional on the dangers of SSRIs. This can

prove to be quite a feat according to new mother, Christine Kelly.

 

Although her pregnancy was somewhat of a surprise, it did not take

long for Christine to get excited about the prospect of the arrival of

new baby.

 

But there was one issue that she was concerned about. Christine was on

Paxil and had been on several different SSRIs in the years before she

become pregnant. At her next appointment with her psychiatrist, she

mentioned her concerns and the psychiatrist assured Christine that

there was nothing to worry about and advised her to keep taking the drug.

 

A few of Christine's friends and family members disagreed with the

psychiatrist and offered up news reports on the potential harm of

SSRIs on the fetus. The articles showed that warnings of the adverse

effects had been in the news off and on for years already.

 

Christine brought copies of a couple of articles to her next

appointment with the psychiatrist and when she mentioned the topic

once again, the doctor was clearly annoyed. It was clear that the

doctor was not going to review the information.

 

Thus the battle began. The young pregnant mother concerned about her

unborn child and the know-it-all mental health professional who acted

as if her patient was being irrational.

 

By this time, Christine found herself in between a rock and a hard

place. As she reviewed more information on the dangers of SSRIs, she

became more alarmed.

 

" On the one hand, " she said, " the SSRIs were said to cause birth

defects if taken in the first 3 months of pregnancy and I was past the

3 month period. "

 

" But then I read another report that said babies go through withdrawal

at birth if the mother take an SSRI during the last 3 months of

pregnancy, " she continued.

 

Christine knew it was too late to better the odds for a normal birth

due to taking Paxil during the first trimester, but she could improve

the odds for the last 3 months of her pregnancy.

 

" The baby was not due for 4 more months so I decided to quit taking

the drug, " she said.

 

Christine would soon learn that the matter was not quite that simple.

Abrupt withdrawal from these drugs has its own problems.

 

" I had been on SSRIs for 7 years, " Christine said, " and according to

reports on the internet, if I quit taking the drug, there was a good

chance that I would go into withdrawal. "

 

With no help or support from the know-it-all shrink, Christine

recruited her friends and family members to help wean her off the

drug. The process took less than 2 weeks and went off without a hitch.

 

After going off the drug, Christine hoped that her unborn child would

be home free. But that was not the be. The baby ended up having to

stay in the neonatal intensive care unit for 4 days while medical

professionals monitored him for signs of withdrawal or adverse side

effects of Paxil.

 

" There was also a problem with his sucking and he had to be fed

intravenously with tubes, " Christine said.

 

So instead of bringing her baby home, Christine sat at the hospital

and watched her son Nicholas in a glass bed with tubes, needles and

monitors stuck all over his little body.

 

Although the extra out-of-pocket costs associated with the intensive

care unit put a strain on the household budget, the good news was that

the baby appeared not to have suffered any lasting adverse effects

from the SSRI.

 

When Christine met with her psychiatrist at her next appointment, she

explained how Nicholas had to be monitored and kept in intensive care,

and this time it was Christine's turn to get annoyed at the doctor.

 

Not willing to budge an inch, according to Christine, and implying

that she had been right all the long, the doctor said, " well, was

there anything wrong with him? "

 

" You're missing the point, " Christine told her, " I feel very lucky

that my baby is all right but you were wrong to tell me that nothing

could happen to him if I kept taking the drug. "

 

Once he was released from the hospital, everyone who came to visit

agreed that he looked just fine.

 

Nicholas did not seem sleep like her other babies and woke up 2 or 3

times every night. " I just thought each baby is different, " Christine

said.

 

A short time after Nicholas got home, people began to notice that he

was easily startled, even while asleep. " Any sudden little sound

caused him to jump, " Christine said.

 

At first it was sort of comical and people who saw him jump made

light-hearted jokes about it. " His grandma kept laughing and saying it

was a sign of good hearing, " Christine said.

 

However, it was not comical after Christine spent time on the internet

reading about the side effects of SSRIs on babies and found " easily

startled " near the top of the list.

 

" The sucking problem Nicholas had at birth was also on the list, "

Christine said, " and abnormal sleeping patters were mentioned as

well, " she noted.

 

With each new headline that warns about the adverse effect of SSRI

exposure to babies, Christine becomes more worried about the possible

long-term effects on Nicholas.

 

His sleeping patterns remain erratic at 4 months old, and " he still

jumps at the slightest sound, " she reports.

 

In addition the potential risk of harm to the fetus in the womb, the

public needs consider the risk of harm caused by a mother's use of

antidepressants after birth. Bonnie Leitsch is the founder of the

" Prozac Survivors Support Group, " and Dr Anne Blake Tracy, author of

" Prozac: Panacea or Pandora? " is a well-known expert on SSRIs, who has

served as a consultant in many high-profile cases involving drug

induced violent acts. These two ladies can cite case after case of

mothers who have killed their babies while on antidepressants.

 

For instance, they report, Zoloft was found by investigators in the

apartment of Emiri Padron, after she smothered her baby on June 22,

2004, and then stabbed herself twice in the chest.

 

On July 26, 2004, new mother, Mary Ellen Moffitt, suffocated her

5-week-old infant and killed herself after she had been diagnosed with

postpartum depression and prescribed Paxil.

 

In a case that most people have heard about, Andrea Yates drowned all

five of her children in the bathtub while taking Effexor and Remeron

in November 2004.

 

In October 2002, Annie Mae Haskew smothered her 10-week-old baby after

being diagnosed with postpartum depression and placed on antidepressants.

 

The public, and most importantly the medical professionals who pass

out SSRIs like Halloween candy, need to understand that these drugs

are known to cause grave harm to patients in all age groups, but have

the potential to be lethal in the womb and beyond.

 

" The scientific evidence behind this has been out there for decades, "

says Dr Tracy, " All anyone ever had to do was read it. "