A study in The British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology has linked Paxil and Prozac to heart birth defects.
or the study, researchers from Israel, Italy and Germany looked at the pregnancy outcomes of 2,191 women. Of those, 410 had taken Paxil during their pregnancy, while 314 had taken Prozac. The remaining 1,467 had no exposure to either antidepressant.
Women who took Prozac during pregnancy were 4.47 times more likely to have a baby with a heart anomaly and women who took Paxil were 2.66 times more likely. There was no increase in other major congenital anomalies, although the study did find that women taking Prozac or Paxil had babies with slightly lower birth rates than those in the control group.
Pregnant women taking either drug should speak to their doctors, but they should not stop their medication unless they are told to do so.