Topics: Antidepressants | Pregnancy | SSRIs

There’s nothing like a close friend suffering psychiatric difficulties to motivate a psychiatrist to do some serious reading. Recently, your humble editor encountered this situation.

Topics: Pregnancy | SSRIs

You may not know it, but this year marks a milestone in the world of SSRI teratology research. Ten years ago, JAMA published the first controlled study of Prozac exposure in pregnancy (1). The results? Neither Prozac nor tricyclics caused more birth defects than controls, but both antidepressants caused more neonatal complications.

It’s not all about meds. This is especially true in treating postpartum depression, because so many women are understandably reluctant to expose their breast-feeding infants to antidepressants. This article reviews interpersonal therapy (IPT) as an effective modality for post-partum depression.

Topics: Antidepressants | Pregnancy | SSRIs

Dr. Hendrick, there has been a lot of confusing and seemingly contradictory data about the safety of SSRIs during pregnancy. What’s your take?

Topics: Antidepressants | Pregnancy | SSRIs

Roseann Gumina, M.D., is an obstetrician/gynecologist in private practice in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Like most OB/GYNs, Dr. Gumina sees more pregnant women on antidepressants in a given year than most psychiatrists are likely to see in a lifetime, and her perspective is informative.

In 1956, a German company synthesized thalidomide (its brand name was “Contergan”) and launched it the next year in Europe as a sedative. Unlike sedatives available at the time, such as the barbiturates, thalidomide was apparently completely non-addictive and had few if any side effects.