Probably, Expectant Mothers Do Not Need to Stop Taking Zoloft or Xanax During Pregnancy.
This is a harrowing place: you have panic attacks, but you are worried that taking medication for anxiety during pregnancy will harm your baby. Research on this topic has been mixed, but although there are some risks associated with both benzodiazepines (anti-anxiety drugs like Xanax) and SSRI antidepressants (like Zoloft and Paxil), women probably don’t need to stop taking the medication.
Dr. Kimberly Yonkers, whose study was published this week in JAMA Psychiatry , found that benzodiazepines pose some risks to maternal health by reducing the duration of pregnancy somewhat (women who took the drugs gave birth to their babies on average 3.6 days earlier than their mothers). who didn’t.) are more likely to have a caesarean section and a greater need for oxygen support for their newborns after childbirth.
Women taking antidepressants also had shorter pregnancies (but less than two days on average), and their babies were also slightly more likely to require oxygen support. The statistics are important to consider, but, as Yonkers said in an interview with NPR , “it should be encouraging that we don’t see a huge effect here.” Her research also showed that panic or anxiety disorder during pregnancy poses no health risk to a developing baby.
Bottom line: Feel free to talk to your doctor about finding a treatment plan that’s right for you. If depression and anxiety during pregnancy are left untreated, there are consequences, and no woman should feel like she should be suffering alone.
Xanax or Zoloft for expectant mothers: new study evaluates safety | NPR