The reaction of Nurse Einarson and colleagues helps us to get the problem of antidepressants
and anxiolytics use during pregnancy under closer scientific and ethical scrutiny.
She apparently is a staunch defender of the use of SSRIs and similar medications and,
with funds from their manufacturers, has participated in studies of the effects of
possibly teratogenic antidepressants on pregnant women. None of these studies considered
non-pharmacologic ways to treat depression or anxiety. Indeed, these studies found
that malformations occurred twice or three times as often in the SSRI or venlafaxine
groups compared to the non-teratogenic group. These facts were surprisingly interpreted
by the authors as offering “not an increased risk for major malformations above the
baseline rate of one to three per cent” [
1
,
2
].To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to European Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive BiologyAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- Pregnancy outcome following gestational exposure to venlafaxine: a multicenter prospective controlled study.Am J Psychiatry. 2001; 158: 1728-1730
- Exposure to mirtazapine during pregnancy: a prospective, comparative study of birth outcomes.J Clin Psychiatry. 2006; 67: 1280-1284
- Antidepressant use during pregnancy and the rates of spontaneous abortions: a meta-analysis.Ann Pharmacother. 2005; 39: 803-809
- First trimester exposure to paroxetine and risk of cardiac malformations in infants: the importance of dosage.Birth Defects Res B Dev Reprod Toxicol. 2007; 80: 18-27
Oberlander TF, Warburton W, Misri S, Aghajanian J, Hertzman C. Neonatal risks of treatment of maternal treatment with mood stabilizers—In reply. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2007; 64(7):867–868. http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/extract/64/7/867
- Selective publication of antidepressant trials and its influence on apparent efficacy.N Engl J Med. 2008; 358: 252-260
Follow-up on antidepressants during pregnancy: an exchange of views. Journals Watch Women's Health; 2007. http://womens-health.jwatch.org/cgi/content/full/2007/712/6
Article info
Publication history
Published online: May 06, 2008
Received:
January 19,
2008
Identification
Copyright
© 2008 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
ScienceDirect
Access this article on ScienceDirectLinked Article
- Comment on: “Campagne DM, Fact: antidepressants and anxiolytics are not safe during pregnancy” Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol 2007 Dec;135(2):145–8European Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive BiologyVol. 171Issue 2
- PreviewWe are writing in response to a paper recently published in your journal: “Campagne DM. Fact: Antidepressants and anxiolytics are not safe during pregnancy. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2007 Dec;135(2):145–8” [1]. We have many concerns with this piece, starting with the title, which is incorrect as this is definitely not a review, it is an editorial reflecting the author's personal views. A review is a systematic search of the literature, enabling the author to produce the best evidence-based information, to assist clinicians in treating their patients.
- Full-Text
- Preview
