Antidepressant use during pregnancy: current controversies and treatment strategies.
The treatment of depression during pregnancy is both a common and complex clinical challenge. The decision to expose the fetus to antidepressant medication during pregnancy must be weighed against the risks of untreated maternal depression to both mother and fetus. Maternal depression during pregnancy has been associated with increased rates of preterm birth and maternal substance use. The safety of antidepressant use during pregnancy seems to be largely reassuring but there remain 2 areas of controversy including neonatal withdrawal syndrome and primary pulmonary hypertension of the newborn. Individualized treatment recommendations based on the patient's history are essential to optimize outcomes.
Payne
Jennifer L
JL
Women's Mood Disorders Program, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 550 N. Broadway, Baltimore, MD, USA. jpayne5@jhmi.edu
Meltzer-Brody
Samantha
S
D001942:Breast Feeding; D003863:Depression / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome; D014481:United States; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration