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Editor: Robert Binstock
Profession: Paxil Side Effect Attorney

Category: Paxil Birth Defects

Women taking anti-depressants, such as Paxil, during their first trimester have an increased risk of bearing a child with serous birth defects. The New England Journal of Medicine reports that higher risks of intestine, brain, and skull developmental problems are more common.

There have been ties between infants born to mothers taking antidepressants suffering from withdrawals and tremors within their first few days of life.

Others studies have linked a mother's antidepressant use later in pregnancy to an increased risk of lung problems in newborns. Two reports have tied the drug Paxil, in particular, to a higher rate of congenital heart malformation. The drug carries a warning about heart defects.

The decision whether or not to take antidepressants can be a tricky one, as depression can also lead to problems like smoking, drinking and other harmful behaviors, that could also be detrimental to fetal development.