Nova Southeastern University Wk Paroxetine and Sertraline Drugs Discussion Response

 reply to this post. 

Laura is a 27-year-old year old woman who is pregnant and in her first trimester complaining of a depressed mood. She states she is planning on breastfeeding once she gives birth. Although SSRIs may be prescribed during pregnancy and lactation, which medication would be contraindicated in Laura’s case?

1. Sertraline (Zoloft)
2. Citalopram (Celexa)
3. Paroxetine (Paxil)
4. Escitalopram (Lexapro)

Answer: C

Rationale: Paroxetine (Paxil) is considered a category D drug and according to the FDA should not be prescribed to women who are planning to get pregnant, are pregnant, and plan to breastfeed. Studies have shown a strong association between first trimester paroxetine use and congenital malformations; specifically cardiac malformations (Gao et al., 2018).

References

Gao, S.-Y., Wu, Q.-J., Sun, C., Zhang, T.-N., Shen, Z.-Q., Liu, C.-X., Gong, T.-T., Xu, X., Ji, C., Huang, D.-H., Chang, Q., & Zhao, Y.-H. (2018). Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor use during early pregnancy and congenital malformations: A systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies of more than 9 million births. BMC Medicine, 16(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-018-1193-5