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Expert Q&A
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| By Michael D Benson, MD Attending Physician, Highland Park Hospital, IL | ||
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I have been diagnosed with severe depression. I have been on Zoloft for about five months now, and feel much better. I would like to start trying to get pregnant. Will Zoloft harm a baby?
Zoloft belongs to a group of drugs, selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors in which there is actual human experience during pregnancy. To date, there is no evidence or suspicion that any of these medications, including Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft, pose any threat to the developing baby. They are also acceptable to continue during nursing.
Regarding these anti-depressants and pregnancy, a good general rule of thumb is that they should be started and stopped when they normally would be without special consideration for the pregnancy since they are safe. Also, though physicians may be slow to realize it or point it out, depression itself is not safe for the pregnancy. This is not because the baby picks up on mood but rather, depressed women may not gain weight and unfortunately, are at risk for self-injury attempts. From both a quality of life and safety point of view, depression should be treated both during pregnancy and nursing.
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