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December 9, 2005

Paxil May Cause Heart Defects in Newborns

The FDA has issued a warning to pregnant women about the antidepressant Paxil, saying that the drug increases the risk of heart defects in newborns.

The advisory is based on early results from two studies, which found that women who took Paxil in the first three months of pregnancy were 1 1/2 to two times more likely to give birth to a child with a heart defect than women who took other antidepressants or pregnant women overall. The studies found that Paxil had a risk of birth defects that other common antidepressants did not. (Washington Post)