Preliminary reports have suggested that menstrual irregularity may occur more commonly in women with mood disorders than in the general population. What has been unclear, however, is whether these menstrual cycle irregularities reflect an underlying disruption of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis in women with mood disorders or are caused by the psychotropic medications used to [...]

Q. I have taken Paxil for about six years for depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. I have tried several times to stop the medication but the symptoms come back within a few weeks of stopping the medication. My husband and I are now planning a pregnancy, and my obstetrician tells me that I cannot take Paxil [...]

A recent report suggests that newborns exposed to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) antidepressants such as Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa and Paxil may be at risk for developing withdrawal symptoms after delivery (Levinson-Castiel 2005). However, the investigators also noted that the symptoms usually disappeared within 48 hours and did not require medical intervention.
In this study, published [...]

Literature accumulated over the last decade supports the use of certain selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and the older tricyclic antidepressants during pregnancy, indicating no increased risk of congenital malformation in children exposed to these medications during the first trimester of pregnancy. Still, questions remain regarding the purported risk for “toxicity” in newborns exposed to [...]

Over the last decade, the number of reproductive-age women treated for depression has increased significantly. Given the incomplete information available regarding the reproductive safety of many antidepressant medications, many women choose to discontinue pharmacologic treatment during pregnancy. However, several studies estimate that about 10 to 15% of women suffer from depression during pregnancy (O’Hara et [...]