Experts state that women who have ever suffered from depression should think twice before they stop taking their medication when they get pregnant.
A study conducted by Harvard psychiatrist Lee Cohen discovered that 68 percent of women who stopped taking their antidepressants — relapsed, in comparison with only 26 percent of women who stayed on their medication. The findings were reported by USA Today.
Latest research suggests that pregnant depressed women are more prone to give birth too early or develop preeclampsia, the newspaper noted.
"There are potentially risks on both sides of the fence," said Sheila Marcus, the psychiatrist at University of Michigan. "You really have to look at the severity of the maternal illness, the desire of the mother, the medicine you’re thinking about using."
USA Today noted that study about the safety of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors like Prozac and Paxil during pregnancy has resulted in mixed conclusions.
A study revealed that women who took Prozac, Paxil, Celexa or Zoloft during the second half of pregnancy were six times more prone to born a baby with an infrequent but potentially lethal heart and lung condition.
