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Re: Lexapro and Pregnancy (P.S.)

Posted by SLS on July 25, 2004, at 14:30:30

In reply to Re: Lexapro and Pregnancy (P.S.), posted by duchess on July 25, 2004, at 13:13:49

> Thank you guys for all the info, but, im taking Lexapro for panic attacks and Agrophobia. It got so severe that I hardly left the house.

> So switching meds isnt really an option.

> I tried coming off the meds about three months ago and the panic attacks started to return, so I went back on.

It sounds as if you have cornered yourself into a decision.

Well, I would say that you have reached a point where you must weigh the risks involved with relapsing and how that would impact on your ability to carry successfully to term and care for the newborn versus any increased risk of congenital defect, miscarriage, or premature birth that might go along with the use of Lexapro during the pregnancy.

I found one abstract on Medline with a large number of subjects; the results of which mirror the studies using smaller sample sizes that I found as well. The drug most often used was citalopram, the parent drug of Lexapro. The abstract indicates that the subjects studied were those who used antidepressants early in pregnancy. Without reading the full text of the study, one can't know what percentage continued to use the medication during the entire pregnancy. This is a limitation to one's ability to interpret the results, but again, they are similar to most of the other stuff you will find. The results showed that versus the general population:

1. No increased risk of birth defects
2. Shorter gestational period (I'm guessing this represents a small risk of premature birth).
3. No difference in survival rate
4. Higher birth weight (mostly for non-SSRI drugs)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=10501819

This looks like a well-done study. I thought it notable that there findings included that women who used antidepressants were older, had more previous children (parity), and smoked more. That makes sense to me, and, for me anyway, helps give the study credibility.

I hope this helps.


- Scott

 

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