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Results from an international study conducted by scientists from Israel, Germany and Italy, suggest that pregnant women receive two popular antidepressants from a group of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in the first trimester of pregnancy is associated with increased risk of developmental disorders of the heart in their unborn children. No link of these drugs with other congenital anomalies of the researchers was unable to detect.

The study, which is in question here, was conducted with 2,191 women, 410 of them in the first trimester of pregnancy received paroxetine ( «Paxil» and other trade names), and 314 – fluoxetine ( «Prozac» and other trade names). As for the remaining 1467 participants of the study they entered the control group.

According to the results, fluoxetine is accompanied by an increase in the risk of congenital malformations of the heart in 4.47 times, while receiving paroxetine – in 2,66 times. As the authors of the work prove, these figures are quite comparable with the risk of similar anomalies arising from tobacco use during pregnancy (in 5,4 times have smoked more than 10 cigarettes per day and 2.75 times in less than a specified number of smoked cigarettes).

The researchers highlighted the fact that the calculation of the data obtained by them was taken into account other important risk factors for such anomalies.

The authors of the work also noted that the results of their study do not extend to other drugs from the group of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. They stress that taking strong antidepressants is possible only under the supervision of a physician taking into account the risk of complications and side effects.