Posted by Larry Hoover on January 3, 2005, at 8:20:51
In reply to Re: lexapro and pregnancy, posted by Dan Perkins on January 2, 2005, at 21:00:57
> Not enough is known about the long-term effects of these drugs on unborn children, so your child will be somewhat of a guinea pig. If you were suicidal and taking Lexapro for major depression then I would say you may want to take the chance and stick with it, even if it does harm your kid. But if you are just taking it for anxiety (I know anxiety can be awful, but anxiety alone does not usually drive people to kill themselves), then I would try to be drug free for your pregnancy.
I really hope you take the time to read the information in the links I gave in my post, above. To the extent those concerns are answerable, I have provided the information that is currently available.
In summary, untreated anxiety and depression is harder on the unborn child than are the drugs used to minimize those effects, notwithstanding the obvious risks of drug withdrawal that occur from the separation of the child from the mother's blood supply at birth.
The only developmental studies yet conducted show no differences in the development of drug-exposed children, whereas those from mothers with untreated anxiety and depression during pregnancy have clear adverse sequelae.
Those are statistical conclusions, and individual cases are sure to differ. No one plans to be on pharmaceutical drugs during pregnancy, but if it does happen, all we can do is watch and care for the mother and child. I have included all such reports I can find.
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:436433
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050103/msgs/437147.html