Other SSRIs Linked to Birth Defects
We've spent a good amount of time exploring the link between SSRIs and birth defects. Paxil remains the most notorious drug for causing this heartbreak, but there are birth defects linked to many popular SSRIs, and patients prescribed these medications should be informed. While no decisions should be made without consulting a doctor, information is vitally necessary in order to make the best, safest choice for mother and child alike.
Symbyax is an interesting case among SSRI treatments in that it is not a single medication. It is a combination of the SSRI Prozac with an antipsychotic medication. It's used to treat depression patients with atypical and serious depression symptoms. In particular, the FDA has approved it for use in managing depression related to bipolar disorder, popularly known as manic depressive disorder, which is characterized by severe mood swings between hyperactivity and severe depression.
It also has been linked consistently to the formation of heart defects in infants when taken by a mother during pregnancy. Predominant among these are septal defects, which consist of holes in varying size through the walls separating the heart chambers. Atrial defects, or ASDs, are holes through the wall in the upper chamber, while ventricular defects, or VSDs, are present in the lower chamber wall. Either condition can result in stunted physical development and a limitation on activities, and some ASDs require surgical intervention.
In addition, Symbyax has been connected to the development of craniosynostosis. In short terms, this is a condition in which parts of the child's brain fuse together and seal up too early. These parts, called sutures, grow together at an abnormal rate when the child is exposed to Symbyax, and the result is an abnormally-shaped cranium. This can create any number of problems ranging from simple but tragic deformity of appearance to actual danger to the child's developing brain.
