Paxil and Pregnancy

The popularity of antidepressants has made it the number one prescribed medicine followed by antihypertensive medications, according to medical research.  Doctors are puzzled of the increase use of antidepressants, and were marveling over whether it is due to the growing awareness or simply some sort of escape. Indeed, some medical practitioners even prescribe antidepressants for premenstrual syndrome even if they won’t alleviate the physical symptoms. 

That more men and women are using antidepressants remains a startling statistic in relation to the increasing number of depressed people in the last 10 years.  Some doctors think that it is a good sign, showing that more people acknowledge the fact that they have problems psychologically.   There is indeed a change in the way people see mental illness and also a growing awareness of the signs and symptoms.  

The result of recent studies has shown that 10 percent more of women today are using antidepressants than they were a decade ago.  This is due to the vulnerability of women developing depression than men.  While people taking antidepressants were not properly evaluated by a psychiatrist, they had asked their physician to prescribe one for them, research says.  There are question about the validity of antidepressant use, whether it is just a result of the frequent ads that are seen by the patient or there is an actual need for it.  Proper evaluation of a psychiatrist is often overlooked by people taking antidepressants after using it for a month.

Studies show that people taking antidepressants are at high risk for suicide during the first few weeks of usage. Antidepressants like Paxil even have a black box warning on their packaging which cautions people about the risk.    Adults are not the only ones using antidepressants but also children. Because of the increased risk for suicide for ages below 24, the FDA has recommended that Paxil should only be used by ages 18 and up.   The attending physician can still use it in children according to their own discretion.

New information about the effects of Paxil to the fetus when used during pregnancy has emerged from research. Although pharmaceutical companies try to market their antidepressants as safe to use even during pregnancy, studies have shown different results.   Paxil birth defects are the side effects of using Paxil during the first three months of pregnancy.  If it is used during the last three months, it may cause respiratory problems for the newborn baby and might even result to premature delivery.

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