Antidepressant use during pregnancy: How to avoid clinical and legal pitfalls
Overall risks are low, and fears of lawsuits should not deter appropriate care
Many women become pregnant while being treated for depression. Approximately one-half of all pregnancies are unplanned, so women using antidepressants may unknowingly expose their fetus to medication.30 For this reason, it is important to discuss potential pregnancy and birth control concerns with all women of childbearing age before initiating pharmacotherapy.31 If an unintended pregnancy occurs, tell your patient to contact you before stopping any medications. Lawsuits also can occur because of wrongful death by suicide or infanticide because of lack of treatment; risk of untreated illness should not be treated lightly.
Related Resources
- Motherisk. www.motherisk.org.
- Organization of Teratology Information Specialists. www.otispregnancy.org.
- Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Women’s Mental Health. www.womensmentalhealth.org.
- Escitalopram • Lexapro
- Paroxetine • Paxil
- Sertraline • Zoloft
The authors report no financial relationship with any company whose products are mentioned in this article or with manufacturers of competing products.
Acknowledgments
The authors appreciate suggestions on prior versions of the manuscript from Miriam Rosenthal, Jaina Amin, Sarah Nagle-Yang, Sonal Moratschek, J.P. Shand, and Scott R. Miller.
