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A new study in the BMJ may help guide clinicians' and patients' choice of antidepressant in pregnancy.
Using data from a large U.S. study, researchers identified nearly 18,000 birth defect cases and 10,000 controls. The mothers of 660 cases and 300 controls had used selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in the month before or first 3 months of pregnancy.
Among the findings:
Sertraline (Zoloft) wasn't associated with any of five defects to which it had previously been linked (e.g., septal defects).
Neither citalopram (Celexa) nor escitalopram (Lexapro) was associated with defects, except for a “marginal” link between citalopram and neural tube defects.
Fluoxetine (Prozac) was associated with ventricular septal defects, right ventricular…