SSRI risks highlighted
June 25, 2013
Professor Stephen Pilling,
expert adviser to the UK National
Institute for Health and Care
Excellence (NICE) has advised that
evidence suggests SSRIs can double
the risk of a child being born with a
heart defect.
Antidepressants have been used
by up to one in six women of child
bearing age, according to the BBC.
“We make a quite a lot of effort
really to discourage women from
smoking or drinking even small
amounts of alcohol in pregnancy,
and yet we’re perhaps not yet saying
the same about antidepressant
medication, which is going to be
carrying similar - if not greater -
risks,” said Professor Pilling.
Currently, prescription guidelines
for doctors only warn specifically
against taking paroxetine in early
pregnancy but Prof Pilling says that
advice is about to be updated to
cover other SSRIs.
For more information refer to the
NICE website at nice.org.uk.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 25 Jun 13To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 25 Jun 13
