Re:Are anti-depressants safe to take while I am pregnant?
The vast majority of antidepressants are of the SSRI class—serotonin reuptake inhibitors. As a class they have been considered relatively safe during pregnancy; however, they are not completely without risk. SSRIs include Prozac, Zoloft, Luvox, Paxil, Celexa and Lexapro.
There have been some research studies in support of stopping antidepressants during pregnancy. One of them noted a three-fold increase in the rate of high blood pressure in the lungs of infants born to mothers who were taking SSRIs. Still the risk is about 10 in 1000 babies. The effect seems to be more prominent when the anti-depressants were taken in the later parts of the pregnancy.
Another study showed that up to a third of women who took SSRIs during the pregnancy had infants who underwent a withdrawal syndrome after birth. During the withdrawal, infants experienced tremors, a high pitched cry, disturbed sleep and stomach problems in the days following their birth. Like any withdrawal, the symptoms do eventually pass.
In 2005, the makers of Paxil put a warning on their prescriptions stating that taking Paxil in the first trimester of pregnancy caused an increase in birth defects, particularly in heart defects. It’s certainly possible that other SSRIs have similar effects but it isn’t completely known yet. The point of the whole thing, however, is that if an SSRI is definitely necessary for the health and safety of the mother during the pregnancy, then taking an SSRI may be the thing to do.
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. I have a friend who took an antidepressant before her pregnancy (not during) and experienced cleft palate with her son. It's just not worth it and that's mild from what i've read. There are some great resources out there if you do have questions. 
